Midlothian: Crichton Collegiate Church

Joseph Brook and Co, 1899 — organ surveyed May 2025

The Building

Much has been written elsewhere about the long and fascinating history of Crichton Collegiate Church and, as such, a brief history is presented below. The present church was founded in December 1449 when Sir William Crichtoun [sic] established a collegiate church, with provision for a provost, a number of canons or prebendaries and a couple of singing boys^{[i] + [ii]}. At this time, Sir William had Crichton Castle extended and it has been suggested that both the erection of the church and work to the castle were carried out by the same builders due to architectural/stylistic similarities. The interior layout of the building, as existed before 1898 (and which suggests a Nave to the West), can be seen in the diagram below and indicates how the fully intended scale was never realised^[iii].

As can bee seen above, a length of north wall was erected for the nave but with no corresponding wall on the south – thus the nave remains incomplete to this day. On the state of the building in the early 1890s, MacGibbon and Ross (1897) wrote: “To adapt the edifice to the Presbyterian system of worship, probably the very worst plan which could have been devised has been adopted…The original fabric may remain, but is greatly deformed.”^[iv] Clearly the writers felt that attempts to make the space viable for worship were lacking sympathy to the original, ancient, design. Looking at an image of the church interior before the restoration of 1898 (below) we can see that priority was given to maximising the number of worshippers, with galleries erected on three sides and many pews crammed in to the central space.

Elsewhere it was noted that a number of the old windows were built up and that entrances to the galleries had been made through what used to be windows. The writer even jokes that apparently “it was a matter of no importance how the worshippers entered, by door or by window!” ^[v] . However, in 1898 under the Rev A. W. Fergusson (and with financial support from the laird, Henry Callander) the church underwent a full restoration and alteration in an attempt to reverse the years of neglect and reclaim some of the original glory of the building. The work, as proposed by Messrs Hardy and Wight of Edinburgh, sought to remove the galleries, remove an interior west wall and all of the old woodwork. Also amongst the work to be completed was restoration of the original ancient south door (which had been turned into a central window prior to 1898), provision of a pulpit and all walls thoroughly cleaned of moss and algae. The restoration, including the purchase of the two manual and pedal pipe organ, is documented in numerous sources with varying costs ranging from £900 to £1484, with one account stating as high as £2000 ^{[vi]+[vii]+[viii]}.

One striking and rather unusual account concerning the building’s post 1898 layout (as remains today) comes from a former minister, John Logan, who wrote the following in an article for the Church Service Society (1975): “Unfortunately, but then almost inevitably, the organ (by Joseph Brook, Glasgow), was built against the west wall over an entrance vestibule behind the pulpit. A fine tapestry curtain in front of the pipes would be the simplest improvement: the organist and most of the console is screened by the pulpit”^[ix]. It is unclear what objection the Rev Logan had to seeing the façade on display at the front of the church (a feature of many Presbyterian churches) but surely most now would agree that hiding splendid façade would be criminal.

Since 1994, the Crichton Collegiate Church Trust has maintained and restored the building. The magnificent A-listed building is used for a variety of events throughout the year, a number of which feature the organ.

The Organ

Why the firm of Joseph Brook & Sons was selected to build the organ at Crichton remains uncertain. Although at this time he was known for having tuned the organ at the Crystal Palace, being awarded a diploma at the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1888; and also possibly had links with Albert Lister Peace (who had monopoly over the late 19th century Scottish organ scene) – both had links to Huddersfield organ builder Peter Conacher and Peace was organist of St Andrew’s Hall, Glasgow, where Brook held the tuning contract^[x]. This was the 16th organ of the company (not including the two from his short-lived partnership with John Spring) of an output estimated at around 50 instruments^[xi]. Much like the instruments of Joseph Brook, hardly any of the company records are known to survive (unless the occasional letter exists in a private collection). This letter (below) in relation to another Glasgow instrument illustrates the headed paper and writing (in the hand of Joseph) and it is interesting to note the signature at the end of this letter – a close match to that found inside the organ during restoration, though not as neat.

Commentators have suggested the signature in the Crichton organ is perhaps of his son, as it appears that the word ‘junr’ follows the name Joseph Brook. If so, this would refer to Joseph Milne Brook (1883-1953), who later inherited the company^[xii].

Without any clues as to the original specification, or any entries in order/shop books, is impossible to know if there was an intention from the outset for the blank drawstop found on the Swell until the most recent restoration in 2012. Thanks to the work of Matthew Hynes and Alan Buchan, a Cornopean rank was identified and subsequently obtained from St Ninian’s Episcopal Church, Pollockshields, which housed the very first Spring & Brook organ of 1879 (one of only two from the short-lived partnership). However, in order to accommodate the largest bass pipes, some of the largest pipes had to have short-length resonators and were cleverly voiced by David Wyld to mask this adaption to the space. It is curious to consider whether this lack of space was the reason for the organ never having gained its final stop originally, or perhaps a lack of funds. Unfortunately, we will never know for certain without any further documentation coming forth. It should be noted that the St Ninians organ was already ruined and had already lost much of its pipework (for example, a fifteenth from the Great was obtained by Kilbirnie Auld Kirk, in a less sympathetic transplant, in 1996)^[xiii].

This is a remarkably well preserved example of Brook’s work and survives almost entirely unaltered, save from the provision of an electric blower in the late 1950s^[xiv] and the addition, or perhaps better referred to as the completion, of the Cornopean stop. It is quite remarkable to think that the organ had, for nearly 60 years, always been pumped by hand! Rushworth and Dreaper re-palleted the Swell soundboard c.1973 (though not the Great soundboard) and replaced some of the pedal pneumatic relays. In 2002, Lammermuir Pipe Organs carried out some repair to some of the pedal pipes, pedal motors were re-leathered and relays on the central façade pipes were renewed. Given the age of the instrument, such minor work is really testament to the quality of the original material^[xv]. The full restoration of the organ, completed in 2012, at a cost of over £40,000, has brought the organ back to original condition^[xvi] – including the addition of the aforementioned Cornopean, renewal of the blowing handle and remedial work to address the temperature and humidity variations at the back of the organ due to draughts and dampness from the doors.

As is often the case, contemporary press articles give very few accounts of the pipe organ, other than stating the name of organist and occasionally mentioning the title of a piece performed. Frustratingly, this gives little insight into the reception the organ had at the time, other than confirming that it fulfilled its intended purpose. For instance, there is plenty of mention of the organ and its role in accompanying instrumentalists or vocalists:

“The service was greatly enhanced by the beautiful solos sung by Miss Thorburn…and the two violin solos, admirably rended by Jack McConnell…with organ accompaniment by Mrs Macnab”. Dalkeith Advertiser – Thursday 19 July 1928

“Miss Beatrice Souness sang beautifully the solos “Oh for the wings of a dove” and “Angels guard thee.” Mrs Macnab presided at the organ.” Dalkeith Advertiser – Thursday 04 May 1933

It seems Mrs Macnab acted as the organist for the period her husband was minister of the church (from 1902)with the last reference of her playing dating from 1942. Apart from this, there is little mention of any other organists in press articles. However, newspaper accounts of the opening service and (as can be seen framed in the church) the programme for the opening recital survive. The instrument was inaugurated on Thursday 11th May at 12:30, at which a Mr Gavin Godfrey from St Michaels Church in Edinburgh performed a short recital before the inaugural service. As was common at the time we find transcriptions of non-organ works featuring quite heavily but interesting is the inclusion of a piece by Henry Smart (who may have had an association with Brook).

In a more recent concert review, part of the 2021 Lammermuir Festival, we find the organ once again in the background. Much was made of the pieces played, the performers, and of the various trumpets which featured. The organ receives little mention other than: “At first, I was worried that its bright sound might overwhelm the organ…the balance was actually very good”^[xvii]. This perhaps neatly sums up the quality and versatility of this modestly sized instrument, which – for over 125 years – has not only acted as a suitable lead for hearty congregational singing but also as an instrument perfectly at home during solo and accompaniment roles.

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[i] MacGibbon, D and Ross, T (1897): The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland from the Earliest Christian Times to the Seventeenth Century (Volume: III), Edinburgh: David Douglas (p248)

[ii] Dalkeith Advertiser – Thursday 11 May 1899

[iii] MacGibbon, D and Ross, T (1897): The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland from the Earliest Christian Times to the Seventeenth Century (Volume: III), Edinburgh: David Douglas (p248)

[iv] Idem

[v] The Scotsman – Friday 16 December 1898

[vi] Dalkeith Advertiser – Thursday 11 May 1899

[vii] https://www.churchservicesociety.org/sites/default/files/journals/1975-May-63-68.pdf [accessed April 2025]

[viii] The Scots Magazine – Wednesday 01 June 1898 (p58)

[ix] https://www.churchservicesociety.org/sites/default/files/journals/1975-May-63-68.pdf [accessed April 2025]

[x] Cook, James (2009): Joseph Brook Organ Builder, A report prepared for the Trustees of Crichton Collegiate Church, Pathhead, Midlothian

[xi] Stewart, David (revised Buchan, Alan): Organs in Scotland, p2

[xii] Crichton Collegiate Trust, Review of the Year 2011, issue 5: 201

[xiii] https://www.wosas.net/wosas_site.php?id=6787 [accessed 14/05/2025]

[xiv] https://www.churchservicesociety.org/sites/default/files/journals/1975-May-63-68.pdf [accessed May 2025]

[xv] Buchan, Alan (2009): Crichton Collegiate Church, Midlothian – Report on the Organ, November 2009 (p2)

[xvi] Hutcheson, Campbell

[xvii] Bannatyne-Scott, Brian (27 Sept 2021): https://www.edinburghmusicreview.com/reviews/lammermuir-trumpet-and-organ [accessed May 2025]