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Clive Preece wrote in 2005:
I first saw the file cover from the Huntingford firm, which had contained the details of the Low Row organ, three months after I had begun to assemble the case for restoration. I nearly abandoned the project there and then. The case I was making for the restoration of the organ, and for the award of the Historic Organ Certificate, relied on the fact that our organ was an example of an original Roy Huntingford design, newly built by him and designed specifically for Low Row church. However it is well known that a lot of the work undertaken by organ builders involves the re-building of existing organs by other manufacturers. It was therefore important to confirm that the Low Row organ was indeed a Roy Huntingford instrument. Imagine my alarm when I read on the file cover:
"1 Maw and Redal Organ 7 stops new erected in church"This was the un-welcome proof that our organ was a rebuilt Maw and Redal design. I had never heard of the firm of Maw and Redal, and so I turned to all the organ reference material I had accumulated to see if I could find out any more details of this builder. Had Roy Huntingford worked for them? Was our organ a rebuild of an earlier instrument? Here I drew a complete blank. No reference to the firm could be found. It must have gone out of business many years ago. Sadly we could no longer be certain that our organ was a unique example of Roy Huntingford's design. Then I re-read the description on the original file:
"1 Man and Pedal Organ 7 stops new erected in church"ie One Manual and Pedal Organ with seven stops, new, erected in church! All was well! |
Detailed pictures of the organ before restoration
Review of concert to celebrate the restoration