Unknown 1700's & John Budgen

The church in which this instrument is situated is quite an oddity since it is a mixture of two totally contrasting styles. Situated in a small town in Somerset, the church possesses two towers - one with a fine set of bells - and for the most part is medieval. Internally, this is quite evident until the sanctuary is reached with its rood screen. from thereon the church takes on a decidedly Post Reformation cum Georgian flavour and would not be out of place in a typical London Wren church.
The organ is also an interesting instrument. The past history is somewhat confused and of unknown providence but it is likely that the instrument dates from the mid to late 1700's according to the scant records that there are. Certainly the original instrument was situated on a west gallery and was moved to its current "Oxford Movement" position at some time. Percy Daniel carried out work on the instrument in the 1920's and at this time it was a fairly mundane instrument of no great pretensions. However, in 1974 John Budgen (then the managing director of Bishop's of Ipswich) restored the organ to its current state. This brought back the instrument to something closer to what it had been originally and was a vast improvement.
John Budgen is a well respected organ builder in his own right who has carried out many sympathetic restorations of historical instruments. Bishop's whilst never really being classed amongst the leading names produced many fine instruments and amongst other things were responsible for the invention of the Clarabella stop.
A considerable amount of the pipework in the Great organ is obviously old whilst that of the Swell organ is of a much later date. The Tenor C Gemshorn 2' replaced a Celeste rank and the mixture was added at a later date. It is likely that the Contra Fagotto 16' was originally an Oboe prior to 1921.
Whilst it is very definitely a church organ as such, it doesn't really sound like one. Instead it has the tonal character of a rather large chamber organ. Unfortunately, because it is boxed into an organ chamber, the sound is very buried and indeed, once past the rood screen and into the body of the church, it ceases to be effective. This is also not helped by the rather mild voicing throughout. All in all, a pleasant instrument for the organist and Choir but somewhat ineffectual for the congregation.

The specification is as follows:

GREAT ORGAN

Open Diapason 8' 
Stopped Diapason 8' (wood) 
Dulciana 8' 
Principal 4' 
Flute 4' 
Twelfth 2 2/3' 
Fifteenth 2' 
Trumpet 8'

Swell to Great

SWELL ORGAN

Open Diapason 8' 
Gedact 8' (wood) 
Salicional 8' 
Principal 4' 
Gemshorn 2'  (Ten.C)
Mixture II Rks (19:22)
Contra Fagotto 16' 
Cornopean 8' 

PEDAL ORGAN

Bourdon 16 (wood), 
Principal 8' (metal) 
Flautino 4' (metal)

Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal

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