Hamilton: Hamilton West Parish Church
Hill & Son, 1902 — organ surveyed August 2025
Technical summary
The organ is built out from a window recess on a projecting platform, and above an access corridor. The built-in console is at sanctuary floor level, with the self-assured oak casework presenting an illusion of an instrument built in a solid block, where in fact the console could almost be a separate unit beyond the essential action transmissions running from it through to the upper
level.
The majority of the floor area within the organ is occupied by a substantial double rise reservoir, on which the original leather remains. The original feeder mechanism (initially driven hydraulically) remains attached to the under side of the reservoir and connected to hand blowing apparatus in a small room below, in which additionally there is favourable access to the tracker and pneumatic action transmission at the rear of the console.
Both manual soundboards are on the same level above the reservoir, Swell behind Great, although slightly off-centre in relation to the case (noticeably so with the visible “cottage” swell box) as the soundboard for the 42 – note Grand Bourdon chest is accommodated at the bass end, occupying the entire depth of available space from front to back. The leather for this pneumatic chest is original and now failing rapidly, with access for any topical patching extremely limited by the close
proximity of the large reservoir.
At some point within the organ’s formative years (and as yet to be ascertained via pending research) an Oboe has been added to the Swell by means of a soundboard clamp, and necessitating an extending forward of the sides and top of the swell box to provide the required space for the new pipework. The original double motor pneumatic slider actions for the Swell were left untouched at the bass side of the soundboard, with a single pneumatic slider motor being fitted for the new Oboe at the treble side. Elsewhere, a Tremulant has been supplied, operated by a lever pedal. Less convincingly, a balanced swell pedal has also been converted from Hill’s original lever provision (and with some compromise to the structural integrity of the adjacent pedal roller mechanisms). The work style very much resembles that of the Edinburgh firm of Ingram & Company, and it is hoped to be able to verify this eventually.
Other than a few superficially damaged reed resonators, all of the pipework survives in excellent condition. Spotted metal is reserved for the reed and string ranks, with plain metal the default elsewhere and three 8ft flue basses of zinc. With the exception of the speaking front pipes, all metal flue pipes are fitted with tuning slides. Planting for the pipework in both manual divisions is in sides, with trebles in the centre for the Great, and basses in the centre (in the traditional manner)for the Swell.