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former Convent Chapel, Naas, Co. Kildare

Restoration · 2010–11

former Convent Chapel, Naas, Co. Kildare

A delightful 1863 Bevington restored on historic principles, with the mechanical action and en fenêtre console recreated after being discarded when the organ was electrified.

Organisation
former Convent Chapel
Location
Naas, Co. Kildare
Year
2010–11
Type of work
Historic restoration and recreation of mechanical action

The contract

This is a delightful little organ by Bevington. It has suffered at the hands of what appears to be an amateur organbuilder and lost it mechanical action when a console was fitted on the ground floor and the action electrified. The convent lay derelict for many years and is now turned into apartments, keeping the chapel as a community space. We restored the organ to as close to its original condition as we could including recreating the mechanical action and en fenetre console. A cut-out in the gallery suggests there was a pedalboard at one time which would have been coupled to the manual keyboard with no independant pedal stop. There is no evidence of the compass of the pedalboard and looking at Bevington organs of the period there appears to be 13 note, 20 note and other versions. The maximum size available allowed for 22 notes so this compass CC-A was adopted.

The organ was dismantled in October 2009 as building work commenced and removed to Belfast where it was fully restored before being re-installed in Naas in May 2011. The pitch was just a few hertz sharp of standard so tuning slides were fitted to the metal pipes to preserve them from further cone tuning damage and also to have the organ available for use with other instruments.

The work, stage by stage

01

Organ as found before dismantling

14 photographs
former Convent of Mercy chapel
St David's Church beside convent
organ on gallery with detached console downstairs
gap where original console used to be
electric slide motors cut into side case
no shutter mechanism had been fitted so shutters remained closed
console installed in 1960s? using original keyboard & stop knobs
amateur way of operating stop contacts
original keyboard cut short & contacts fitted
pipes all cone tuned
pipes showing missing top rank of Mixture
conveyances from soundboards to Bourdon off note block
bellows in base of organ
patched and cracked leather in corner of bellows
02

Organ during restoration

21 photographs
building frame, soundboard & keyboard
soundboard table planed and black-leaded
side of soundboard showing releathered pallets, new springs, leather hangers and pulldowns
original keyboard now extended for mechanical action (had previously been cut short to fit electric contacts)
underside of bellows with feeders removed
new backflaps being fitted to bellows feeder
ribs being fitted to bellows feeder
ribs being fitted to bellows feeder
case stripped and repairs to damaged wood
case stripped and repairs to damaged wood
case stripped and repairs to damaged wood
new 22 note pedal backfall beam
new pedalboard
new 54 note manual backfall beam
new 54 note manual backfall beam
releathered bellows in place & new pedalboard being fitted
new rollerboard and stickers connected to extended keys
new pedal backfall beam & stickers connecting it to keys
back of rollerboard with new manual backfall beam at top & pedal action below
console lid being fitted - this is all the woodwork existing for the console - all other parts need recreated new
repolished case being fitted
03

Organ restoration completed

12 photographs
pipes restored and in place
pipes restored and in place
new recreated console
new recreated console
new recreated console
restored case
restored case
view to organ gallery
view to organ gallery
view to organ gallery
view to organ gallery
view to east end

Specification

Manual

Bourdon1-13
16
Open Diapason13-54
8
Stopd Diapason1-12
8
Claribel13-54
8
Dulciana13-54
8
Gamba13-54
8
Principal1-54
4
Flute13-54
4
Mixture 12.151-54, missing fifteenth rank replaced 2011
II

Compass CC-f (54 notes)

Hitch-down Swell Pedal at RHS

All enclosed except Bourdon pipes

Enquiries

Have an instrument you'd like to discuss?

Whether the question is a single cipher, a failing action, or the future of an organ in a closing building, we are glad to talk it through.