Glasgow: Evangelical Church, Cathedral Square
Forster & Andrews, 1887 — organ surveyed September 2021
Technical summary
In fulfilling this momentous contract, Forster & Andrews were provided with a most favourable site in which to design and create their Opus 1000. With generous dimensions of width, depth, and height, at their disposal, there was little (other than the requirement to incorporate the console below the pulpit) to impede the provision of an organ which was both spacious in disposition and possessing favourable access logistics for tuning and maintenance.
The Great soundboard sits immediately (and centrally) behind familiarly-patterned stencilled fronts (formed of Great 16 & 8ft Opens) at impost level, with six zinc basses of the Double Open Diapason rising from floor-level at either end. The Swell is at the same level and immediately behind the Great, separated by a spacious passage board. The Choir division sits directly underneath the Swell soundboard, again with generous passage board provision. Planting of the pipework varies in each division:
- Great – sides/trebles in centre
- Swell – sides/basses in centre
- Choir – sides for tenor and bass octaves/chromatic from C25 upwards
The Pedal soundboards, two at each side, frame the central section of the organ, C side at the bass and C# at the treble, running front to rear with the Bourdon/Violoncello (slider) and Open Diapason (ventil) beyond.
A large double-rise reservoir occupies most of the central floor area, with a smaller subsidiary reservoir (double-rise) below the pulpit floor area. A substantial breakdown reservoir also remains in use, fed directly from the blower outlet. The original leather survives on all three reservoirs, even now with negligible discernible leakage.
All key and stop control actions are mechanical, with pneumatic assistance for the pallets of the off-note chests for the Great Double Open Diapason (1-12) and Swell Lieblich Bourdon (1-12).