(From the programme for the 
Inaugural Recital, Sept. 14th 1977) 

HISTORY OF THE ORGANS IN EPSOM U.R.C. (1)

The organist faced his instrument and hence had his back to minister and congregation. His choristers had a good view of him, but he had to turn his head right to see the sopranos and tenors and left to see the contraltos and basses. There is an apochryphal story that the architect forgot to leave space for the organ so that it had to be placed where further centrally-placed choir stalls were intended. It continued to stand there for nearly sixty years troubled only by uncertain electrics and a variable wind supply (resolved when, after the second World War, Epsom finally changed from D.C. to A.C. mains supply and a new motor and switchgear were supplied by the Electricity Board). 

In the early thirties, cleaning and overhaul became necessary and suggestions were made by some church members, and by the organist, that replacement or enlargement of the Bishop organ should be considered. It was generally felt that the leading Congregational Church in the area should possess a more prestigious instrument capable of supporting major musical programmes. The occasion of the Church's 250th anniversary, to be celebrated in 1938, provided an opportunity to start a fund to finance the rebuilding of the organ and to make some alterations to improve the appearance of the east end of the church. This fund, started in 1937, realised an amount in excess of £1,000 and a number of firms were approached to tender for the provision of a new, or to extend the existing, organ. Recently invented, the American Hammond electronic instrument with magnetic tone generators was considered, but a demonstration on site was not possible because of the D.C. electricity supply mentioned above. Later the English company, John Compton, did demonstrate their 'Electrone' - a similar type of instrument - but the sound did not commend itself to church members and it was unanimously turned down. The contract went to the Taunton firm, George Osmond & Co., to build a two-manual organ based on the Bishop instrument, but with greatly improved tonal resources and modernised action. Plans were far advanced when the war intervened and halted the work. The post-war cost was far in excess of what was available in the fund and, with much-needed repairs to the building a matter of some urgency, the church temporarily set aside thoughts of replacing the organ. However, one leading member of the Church was determined that it should house an instrument to lead the praise of God more worthily. This was the late Mr. Harrison Longhurst who left in his will a portion of his estate to supplement the Organ Fund and enable its original purpose to be accomplished. He died in 1957 and the money remained in trust, supporting his wife until her death in 1969. In 1961, a disastrous fire gutted the building and all church activities were continued at the Lecture Hall in Upper High Street. Mr. Ken. Down, who was organist at the time, arranged for the hire of a Jennings electronic instrument, but this proved so unsatisfactory that the insurance money was spent on the purchase of a second-hand two-manual Walker Model C Positif organ to serve temporarily until the bequest materialised. This instrument was moved back into the re-opened church in 1964, where it gave yeoman service until Spring, 1977.

Allan Healey at the Walker Positif in the Choir Gallery

 It was a small extension organ based on three and a half ranks of pipes but, despite its ambitious specification, it failed to meet the demands of contemporary worship although it proved that our new church, reshaped within the old shell, had excellent acoustics. These instruments are extremely popular today in homes and chapels and we are pleased to record that ours is now performing well at a small church near Birmingham where it has been rebuilt by Hill, Norman and Beard. 

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