Excerpt from the church minutes of January 1897
The Chairman informed the Church that an anonymous person suggested that a new organ be purchased for the Church & that a subscription list be opened at once, & what was raised generally by June they would double the amount up to the extent of £200.
Bro. Hardwick proposed & Bro. Perkins seconded that this offer be accepted, & a vote of thanks was passed to the donor.
|
Wellingborough News, Feb 26th 1897
The Old Baptist Organ Fund—A very successful concert was given in the Old Baptist assembly-room by the choir on Tuesday in connection with the new organ fund. In the absence of the pastor, who was unwell, Mr W S Hartwell, secretary of the fund, presided, and explained that at the beginning of the year an offer was made by a friend to the choir that whatever sum was raised towards a new organ up to £200 within a stated time would be doubled. An influential committee of church, congregation and choir was formed, and already the splendid sum of £160 has been raised. Programme: Pianoforte solo, Miss Tailby; glee, “Good-night, thou glorious sun,” Choir; song, “Dapple grey,” Miss Carrie Clarke; duet, “Maying,” Miss West and Mr T T Clarke; song, “Tatters,” Miss Green; quartet, “Come live with me” (encored), Misses Skinner and Green and Messrs Stringer and Farey; song, “First in the field” (encored, and “Nita Gitana” given), Mr T T Clarke; song “In the chimney corner,” Miss Skinner; glee, “The singers,” Choir; pianoforte duet, Misses Tailby and Green; song, “Home dreams,” Mr Stringer; trio, “Hark, the solemn music pealing,” Misses Knight and Miss West; song, “Lassie,” Miss West; song, “Message of the Angelus,” Mr Bellamy; duet, “Listen to the woodbird’s song,” the Misses Knight; glee, “Song and melody, awake,” Choir. The accompaniments were played by Miss Tailby, and Mr Farey conducted, as usual. The collection realised £2 2s.
|
Sep 24th 1897
The Proposed new Baptist Chapel at Rushden
Last Week’s Decision Modified
The decision to erect a new chapel on the present site of the Old Baptist Chapel, Rushden, which was arrived at by a meeting of the church and congregation held early in last week, created considerable surprise among many members of the church. The organ committee had already arranged to place the new organ temporarily in the old chapel, and the work has been commenced. Under these circumstances there was a strong feeling that the decision to build the new chapel was premature, and many felt that the resolution should be rescinded. An opportunity to further test the feeling of the church was afforded on Monday last, when the adjourned meeting of the church and congregation was held in the Assembly-room. The Rev W J Tomkins again occupied the chair, but the attendance was not so large as the previous week. The meeting opened with devotional exercise and the Chairman then explained the object of the meeting, reading the resolution which had been decided upon at the previous meeting. They were now met to make further arrangements in connection with the scheme. It would be necessary to form a committee, and he should be pleased for everyone to express their feelings fully in the matter. There might be differences of opinion, but he had never yet known a building scheme on which there had been perfect unanimity, but he was glad to say that in nearly every case that had come under his notice when the work had once begun the minority loyally assisted in the undertaking. Although they might differ on some points, he was sure they all desired the welfare of the cause with which they were connected. They were brothers and sisters in Christ desiring His glory, and he trusted they would each voice their opinions without bitterness or ill-feeling, giving each one credit for the honesty of his convictions.
An informal discussion followed. The supporters of the resolution passed at the previous meeting allowed it to be modified to the extent of permitting the question of a site to be further considered, but they adhered to that part which referred to immediate steps being taken for the erection of a new chapel.
A resolution embodying these ideas was finally drawn up by the chairman and was carried by a large majority. It was mentioned by members of the Organ Committee that if the new organ was put in the old chapel, by organ recitals and other means sufficient money would be obtained to pay the costs and with a probable surplus, which would go towards the fund for a new chapel.
The meeting was of a most friendly character, and nothing occurred to mar the pleasure of the proceedings.
|
Oct 29th 1897
The New Organ at Rushden
On Thursday the services marking the opening of the new organ at the Baptist Chapel were continued and the Rev P H Smith, of College-street Chapel, Northampton, addressed a good congregation in the afternoon, and Mr R W Strickland, organist at the Rev Smith’s chapel, presided at the instrument.
In the evening a concert and recital were given in the chapel, which was crowded to hear Mr Strickland perform on the new instrument. The programme opened with a fantasia in D minor (Merkell), followed by a chorus by the choir-“The heavens are telling”—after which Mr Stringer sang with verve and feeling the solo “Be thou faithfully unto death.” The next two items showed that the organist fully understood the capabilities of the organ, and in Bunnett’s “Larghetto” and “Andante conmoto” his control was heard to advantage. Miss B Skinner then rendered the song “The Holy City” in a pleasing manner. And after the lively strains of a fugue in G by Krebs had died away, the first part of the programme had been completed, and a collection was taken up in the interval. Part two was opened by a difficult anthem—“Thou crowneth the year”—which was rendered in the choir’s usual style, under the conductorship of Mr J Farey, who held the baton during the evening. The next item amply tested how a judicious combination of stops, added to the beauty of the composition—the “Andante” (with variations)—was one of the most enjoyable items of the evening. Miss Green next feelingly sang “Calvary”, the organ accompaniment being very nicely played. An even rendition of Dionel’s “Concert Satz” was loudly applauded. Mr T Clarke’s splendid bass voice was heard to advantage in the succeeding item. The choir then gave the chorus “Let their celestial concerts all unite” in a manner which must have made regular attendance at the chapel feel more proud of the capabilities of their choir.
The pastor then announced that the collections of the day amounted to £9. While those on Sunday amounted to £10, he should like the amount to be made up to £20. He proposed a vote of thanks to the Rev Smith for his practical address in the afternoon; to Mr Strickland, who had given them such a treat on the organ; and to the ladies who had provided the excellent tea. He was sure they had all enjoyed that evening’s concert, and hoped that that would not be the last time Mr Strickland would come and give them a recital. (Applause) He might mention that the choir intended periodically to give concerts, and recitals would then be given.
Mr Newman seconded, and the vote was carried with loud applause.
After the concluding item, “Cantilene at Grand Choeur” had been rendered the Doxology terminated a most enjoyable concert.
|
Excerpt from church minutes of November 4th 1897
The secretary of the Organ Committee reported that an offer of £25 had been received for the Old organ & asked that the Church would sanction that the same be sold for this amount.
On the proposition of Mr Desborough, seconded by Mr E Partridge. This was agreed to.
|
|
Excerpt from Ochsner’s book “Austin Organs” 2001
John himself was both builder and installer of a two-manual organ in the Baptist Chapel, Rushden, England. Rushden is only a short distance from Irchester, home territory of the Austins. According to F R Webber, the Rushden organ was “built by John T Austin in his father’s barn.” He explained: “John T Austin was 28 years old at the time, and had spent several years in America working for Farrand & Votey, and had built 19 organs in America. He returned for a short time to England in 1897, and built this organ for a chapel in Rushden, then returned to America.”
A somewhat different story is found in a history of the church:
This organ of unique design was built by the American firm of Austin Bros., who emanated from Irchester. The organ was brought to this country from America, and set up in a barn at Knuston Lodge Farm, where it was offered to the Rushden Baptists for the sum of £400.
|
|
Rushden’s Unique, Historic First – Born in a BARN!
We all are familiar with Rushden’s rich heritage as a centre of the leather, shoe & boot crafts. But very few are aware that Rushden has a unique, historic “first” in another craft, in the form of the Austin pipe organ now to be found in the Baptist church in Park Road. The plaque on the console declares that it was built by John T. Austin of Detroit in 1897 - but in fact it was built in Knuston by John Turnell Austin, the son of a farmer [Jonathan Austin] who in 1866 built the very first Austin organ which still stands in St. Margaret’s church, Denton.
His son John was a keen musician & was taught the organ by Joseph Enos Smith, the then organist of St. Mary’s church Rushden, who remained a life-long friend. John emigrated to the USA in 1889, where in 1893 he developed an entirely novel design for pipe organs of which he built some 25 in association with the firm of Warren & Clough of Detroit. The patented design [called the Universal Windchest Organ] used as windchest an airtight room with the action of the instrument mounted on the ceiling [thus permitting easy access for installation & maintenance] with the pipes mounted externally on top. All but one of these were for American churches, the exception being the organ at Park Road Baptist church, which was the first to be exported to England in 1887. John went on in 1898 to found the Austin Organ Company of Connecticut which has since installed over 2000 organs – but only two in England, of which no trace can now be found. The Rushden instrument remains the only European example of John’s successful design.
The Rushden instrument was not first assembled in the Baptist Chapel, nor in the current Baptist church, but in father Jonathan’s barn at Knuston Lodge Farm, a fact confirmed by Joseph E. Smith’s recorded eyewitness account of this event. We surmise that John wished to show his father how to build a better organ……or more likely, to provide a sales example for the English market for church organs, which was burgeoning at the time. In January 1897, the church records of the Little Street Rushden Baptist Chapel show that an anonymous donor proposed the purchase of a new organ, offering to pay £200 [or half the cost, whichever the lesser] for a new instrument, on condition that it be installed by the end of the year. The chapel records also show that John Austin offered the Knuston instrument to the chapel at the carefully calculated cost of £400!.
There then ensued a debate amongst the deacons of the Chapel as to whether the instrument should be immediately installed in the [Old] Chapel in Little Street, or installation delayed until the planned [New] Church was built nearby in Park Road. Enquiries were raised with John Turnell Austin as to whether the instrument could continue to be stored until the new church was built. The chapel organ committee ultimately settled the matter by organizing the organ’s installation in the Old Chapel on the grounds that monies earned from concerts there would be useful in funding the new church building [also no doubt encouraged by the donor’s condition that installation be complete by the end of the year!]
 |
|
The new certificate
|
On completion of the new church on Park Road in 1901, the organ was moved to this new location. Records so far found reveal nothing further about the Rushden instrument until the mid-1930s, when they show that Nicholsons of Malvern had a contract for tuning & maintenance. By the late 1930s, the instrument had developed major problems &. Nicholsons recommended a complete rebuild – which because of the war & the consequent requirement for licencing of limited metal supplies – was delayed until 1945, when discussions with the church deacons were resumed. Discussions rumbled on until in 1947 Nicholsons proposed three alternative specifications for a restored instrument. The first – a basic restoration to the then current specification - was costed at £1,278. The second was an enhanced specification costed at £1,825 for restoration with the addition of a new console, blower & five new voices The third was a much more ambitious specification ultimately costed [at the insistence of the then organist] at £3,230. This proposed the addition of a further 19 voices which was claimed would give “a bolder ensemble & better accompaniment for large congregations”. This third specification would have more than doubled the size of the organ, making it a truly magnificent instrument of 33 voices capable of rendering demanding recital works. It would also have incurred spacial requirements which could not have been met within the existing organ chamber, but would have called for additional side chambers intruding into the choir pews. Not surprisingly, the church elders settled for the second specification, which was contracted in 1949 for manufacture & installation. Work began on October 3rd 1949 & was completed in time for the dedication service in December 1949 – just in time for Christmas.
The research of this history, conducted in association with the archivists of the church, the Austin Organ Company, Nicholsons & the Rushden History Society, has resulted in the award from the British Institute of Organ Studies of a certificate of recognition of the organ’s position as an English historic first & unique example of John Austin’s design.
The instrument continues to give reliable service in services & concerts: a tribute to John Austin’s ingenious design & Nicholsons’ sound craftsmanship. Designed & built by a local lad who formed an American company which has since installed over 2000 pipe organs, this is a heritage of which Rushden can be justifiably proud.
Peter Collier 2011
|
|
