New organ installed in 1853, paid for by Wolborough feoffees highly appreciated by the indefatigable choir

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1 Organ The first organ was installed in 1853 and was a gift of the Wolborough feoffees. It would have been sited in the hall of the chapel, possibly in a location near the present pulpit. Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 15 October 1853 New organ installed in 1853, paid for by Wolborough feoffees highly appreciated by the indefatigable choir This organ was considerably enlarged and improved by Mr George Hawkins, organ builder of Newton Abbot, and placed in the north aisle of the new chancel, in a caseof stained and varnished pine. There were two fronts to the organ - one facing the chancel and the other facing the church. Western Times - Saturday 23 June 1860

2 New organ for St Leonard s built by Messrs. Hamlin & Son of London This second organ was decribed as an excellent instrument, both as regards power and tone. It contains the following stops, Great: open diapason CC to G in alto, stop diapason, clarabella, dulciana, wald flute, principal, fifteenth, cornet, sesquialtra, three ranks Swell: open diapason, stop diapason, principal, cornopean, hautboy Pedal: large scale bourdon, 16ft tone. Western Morning News - Wednesday 15 August 1860

3 Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 18 August 1860

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5 Western Times - Saturday 22 September 1860 The second organ was replaced by a third, built by Hele and Company of Plymouth in the one in place today.. This third organ was described as having a mechanical action, with three manuals and three pedals with the specification: Great: 8,8,8,8,4,4,2,8

6 Swell: 16,8,8,8,8,4,11,8,8,Tremulant Choir: 8,8,4,4,2,8 Pedal: 16,16 This organ has no case, but a series of three groups of pipes set into three pointed arches of the north aisle. Western Morning News - Wednesday 15 August 1860 George Hawkins, organ builder, was a newly appointed churchwarden in 1860.

7 Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 18 August 1860

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9 Western Times - Saturday 22 September 1860 Western Morning News - Thursday 02 December 1869

10 East & South Devon Advertiser. - Saturday 08 February 1908 The Foss family donate 5 each towards a new organ Only reference to the current installation Organ History 1909 Built by Hele Status Unkown Information Source Dictionary of Organs and Organists, George Mate & Son, Manuals Stops Ranks Couplers Action P neu. / hyd. bl Organist S. Rumson Curtis c

11 See letter from David W Loosley, pipe organ builder Tess Walker <dartmoorwalker@btinternet.com> To doppelfloos@hotmail.co.uk at 22:57 Dear Mr Loosley, Thank you for your informative letter about organs, following my plea for expert advice. Having now had the opportunity to see the organ in situ, and in better lighting conditions, I know you are right to think that no elements of the former Hawkins organs were incorporated into the current Hele organ. Having poked around in the dark spaces, it all looks the same age, the same hand, there is a feeling of continuity and the pipes all look 'of a family'. It has been tuned each year by the then owner of the church, but not touched for 5 years, however the former organist of the church has given us a rendition of the Wedding March and the Wallace and Gromet theme to prove its range, and a former piano teacher has also reminded herself which pedals do what, both during our Open Days, and it sounds OK to me! The Town Council, who now own the building, are undecided as to the fate of the organ, but it is in a Listed Building and so Planning Authority consent is required to remove it. The organ at St Mary's, Abbotsbury - within sight of St Leonard's, is a much superior organ - according to Wyn Turner, and so St Leonard's isn't the best in town. The space which may be set aside for an audience to sit will be limited when the church is converted to a community space cum museum cum town hall, so not a concert venue. St Mary's, Abbotsbury has an uncertain future as a church and its redeeming feature is the organ, so St Leonard's shouldn't compete with that status. It is a quandary, but your information will be added into the argument, and so I am grateful for your contribution. If you ever come south to Devon, please tell me and I will endeavour to arrange for St Leonard's and maybe St Mary's to be open. Best wishes, Tess Tess Walker, Newton Abbot Town & Great Western Railway Museum volunteer researcher david loosley <doppelfloos@hotmail.co.uk> CC gavinloosley@aol.com Dear Tess, Many thanks for your considerate reply. Although I do not know intimately this instrument, that it still plays well enough after five years of no maintenance, should be a good indicator of inherent quality. If the maintenance has been a little sparse per your indication of one annual tuning that too is another favourable point to consider on the longevity theme.

12 Your lucky community - to have at least two decent organs in the locality. Can you explain why St Mary s, Abbotsbury has this superior quality; maker, size, acoustics, general appearance even simple association as maybe influenced by a former organist rather than objective appraisal. For some organists the greater number of stops decides, even if musical finesse is dubious. Yet some very small pipe organs with say three stops only, are sheer magic to play or just listen too in the right surroundings. Throughout the organ all soundboards and various accoutrements each will carry a Job Number, probably three or four digits stamped or pencilled possibly on the end rather than emblazoned centre stage as it were. The numbers ought to be identical as that will prove all units are compatible. This is a factory mark because usually more than one organ is being built simultaneously over the usual period of six or more months for construction, that a means of not muddling components was required. Thank you for your open invitation to visit both of these very interesting instruments which I will hope to fulfil timeously. We had a bungalow in Charmouth near Lyme until a couple of years ago therefore some connections in this area remain which unfortunately are reducing rapidly. Usually residing with your educational authority, who may' have positive response towards music in general could possibly make use of both instruments as teaching posts as seldom can individuals afford a decent pipe organ for practice therefore use of a church is often the way forward. Unfortunately often advised in a negative manner the Philistines will always be amongst us. I m afraid I would concur this approach towards football but every chance a majority to promote a playing field will succeed over the smallest musical triangle. Apropos, one of our regional councils spent large sums on providing a complete orchestra of percussion instruments only to be embarrassed by NOT acquiring beaters to play any the obvious optional extra plain ignorance!! Below is my correspondent who brought St Leonards to my notice. An organist herself who had organ lessons alongside my mother under Mr Robbins, at Speldhurst in Kent, very many moons ago. With every good wish for yourself and the railway museum you support, more power to your trunnions! David.