Armoy church only ever had reed organs to accompany music and when the pipe organ from nearby Dunluce Parish in Bushmills became available, Armoy agreed to have it installed. The whole organ was overhauled and installed in Armoy in Autumn 2009.
The organ was built by Cramer Wood & Co in their London factory in 1869. There are similar organs in Ardglass Parish Church, Maghera Parish Church, and one in storage which came out of Aghalee Parish Hall and was probably built for Christ Church Lisburn. These were all built 1869/70. Inside the soundboard is inscribed: Wm Fitch Decr 15th 1869. The Maghera organ has this name as well so he must have been the craftsman who built soundboards.
The shipping label pasted onto various large parts of the organ reads: Per Rail to Coleraine To be kept till called for To The Revd Chs T Ovenden Dunluce Rectory [later Dean of St Patricks Dublin] From Cramer, Wood & Co. (Successors to Marcus Moses) Pianoforte, Harmonium, Harp & Music Warehouse 4 & 5 Westmoreland Street Dublin
Armoy Parish Church Co. Antrim 2009
Drawstops above manual (L>R)
Pedals to Keys | ||
Bourdon | 16 | 1-13, Pedals only |
Open Diapason | 8 | |
Stop Diap Bass | 8 | 1-12 |
Clarabella | 8 | tenor C |
Dulciana | 8 | tenor C |
Principal | 4 | |
Gamba | 8 | tenor C |
Flute Harmonique | 4 | tenor C |
2 Composition Pedals
Hitch-down Swell Pedal - all enclosed except Open Diapason & Bourdon
Watkins & Watson Ltd London ‘Discus’ blower
Hand blowing lever at bass side
Compass
Manual CC-g (56 Notes)
Pedals CCC-C (25 Notes) straight flat pedalboard
Organ at back of church against west wall with attached drawstop console (player faces west)
Case of 21 grey front pipes with gold diapering
Builder : Cramer, Wood & Co. London 1869 (built for Dunluce Parish Church Bushmills)
Blower added : Easter 1949
Overhaul : Stephen Shaw Pipe Organs Bangor c1991
Overhaul & Installed : Pipe Organ Preservation Co Belfast 2009