This is the North Collingham Organ Loft page. The following article was written by Reginald Priestly and updated by Nigel Priestley in January 2011. The Specification page was also written by Nigel Priestley.

The existing two manual instrument was built by Abbott and Smith of Leeds in 1910. It was preceded by a single manual organ having 8 stops with pedal board built in 1874 now installed in Doddington church near Lincoln. This organ occupied a rather dominating free-standing position on the north side of the chancel.

An organ chamber was built to accommodate the new 1910 two manual instrument fronted by an oak organ case which is still existing. The organ builders incorporated a novel type tubular pneumatic action to which minor improvements were made in 1944 and 1957. An external electric blower was installed in 1936.

A major organ rebuild by Cousans Organs of Lincoln took place in 1978 involving the installation of an electric action with solid state switching throughout. Four thumb pistons were installed to both the Swell and Great organ keyboards and four toe pistons to the pedal organ and great organ. Five new stops were added to the specification. The organ case was brought forward by eighteen inches to relieve the cramped layout which formerly existed inside the instrument. This also allowed the installation of the additional 12 open wood pipes to extend the original 8ft Open Diapason to the new 16ft.

This organ is now the largest instrument north of Newark up to the Lincoln diocese and to Retford in the Nottingham and Southwell diocese. It is quite fitting that North Collingham should have such a fine instrument being the birthplace of John Blow in 1649 who in 1685 became organist of Westminster Abbey. Blow's pupils included the famous composers: William Croft, Jeremiah Clarke and Henry Purcell.

Compiled by Reginald Priestley organist of All Saints' North Collingham from 1950 to 1986

Photo © kindly supplied by Reginald Priestley.