Huddersfield Town Hall.

• Built: 1860s by Willis for Albert Hall, Newport
• Built: 1881 in Huddersfield Town Hall by James Conacher
• Rebuilt: 1902, 1919, 1927, 1956, 1974, 1980/1
• Action: Electro Pneumatic
• Design Principle: Romantic English Town Hall Organ
• Manuals: 4 (61 notes), 32 note pedalboard
• Accessories: 8 departmental pistons per division; 8 generals; full organ piston; general crescendo pedal; piston system lock.
• Noteable features: Makes a lot of noise! Beautiful soft string work; a Grand Open Bass which speaks properly; Celesta (bells); Powerful yet characterful reeds.
• Borough Organist: Gordon Stewart

Pedal

  1  Grand Contra Bourdon       32        
  2  Grand Open Bass (wood)     16         
  3  Open Diapason              16          
  4  Violone                    16          
  5  Bourdon                    16         
  6  Great Quint                10 2/3         
  7  Principal                  8
  8  Octave                     8     
  9  Flute                      8        
 10  Violoncello                8
 11  Choral Bass                4
 12  Mixture 15.19.22           III
 13  Contra Bombarde            32 
 14  Grand Ophicleide           16
 15  Trumpet                    8
 16  Shawm                      4 
     Choir to Pedal
     Great to Pedal
     Swell to Pedal
     Solo to Pedal        

Choir

 17  Gedackt                    8
 18  Dulciana                   8
 19  Stopped Flute              4
 20  Octave                     4
 21  Nasard                     2 2/3
 22  Spitzflute                 2
 23  Super Octave               2
 24  Tierce                     1 3/5
 25  Larigot                    1 1/3
 26  Mixture 22.26.29.33        IV
 27  Cremona                    8
 28  Trumpet                    8
     Tremulant
     Swell to Choir
     Solo to Choir

Great

 29  Double Open Diapason       16
 30  Open Diapason 1            8
 31  Open Diapason 2            8
 32  Open Diapason 3            8
 33  Claribel Flute             8
 34  Stopped Diapason           8
 35  Principal                  4
 36  Open Flute                 4
 37  Twelfth                    2 2/3
 38  Fifteenth                  2
 39  Mixture 17.19.22           III
 40  Mixture 19.22.26.29        IV
 41  Tromba                     8
 42  Clarion                    4
     Solo to Great
     Swell to Great
     Choir to Great

Swell

Enclosed

 43  Lieblich Bourdon           16
 44  Open Diapason              8
 45  Lieblich Gedackt           8
 46  Salicional                 8
 47  Vox Angelica               8 from c13
 48  Gemshorn                   4
 49  Flauto Traverso            4
 50  Fifteenth                  2
 51  Mixture 17.19.22           III
 52  Mixture 19.22              II
 53  Hautboy                    8
 54  Vox Humana                 8
     Tremulant
 55  Contra Posaune             16
 56  Cornopean                  8
 57  Clarion                    4
     Octave
     Sub Octave
     Unison Off
     Solo to Swell

Solo

Enclosed

 58  Flute Harmonique           8
 59  Violoncello                8
 60  Viole Celeste              8 from c13
 61  Concert Flute              4
 62  Piccolo                    2
 63  Corno di Bassetto          8
 64  Orchestral Oboe            8
     Tremulant

Unenclosed

 65  Celesta (percussion)       4
 66  Grand Tuba                 8
     Octave
     Sub Octave
     Unison Off

Combination Couplers

Great and Pedal Combinations Coupled

Generals on Swell Toe Pistons

Development

• 1860: Newport Town Hall (approximate date)
• 1880: Rebuilt in Huddersfield Town Hall by James Conacher
• 1902: Tubular Pneumatic action replaces original Barker Lever Action
• 1919: 32ft reed and Solo strings added; Celesta (then called Carillon) added
• 1919: "Dampers" pedal for Carillon added; removed at later date
• 1927: Pitch lowered to A440: every stop required a new pipe for c1
• 1930: Electric piston action installed by Conachers
• 1956: New Willis Console restores "Grand" suffixes removed by Conachers
• 1956: New "Positif" neo-baroque division replaces choir, including Cimbell-Mixture and Krummhorn
• 1974: Cleaning and new blowing apparatus installed
• 1980: New console; new Choir organ replaces Positif; Grand Open Bass' speech returned to proper state; Reeds set on proper speech; Tuba moved onto frontage; electro pneumatic action; Celesta refurbished and moved to top of organ
• 1995: Bellows releathered by Wood of Huddersfield, now caring for the instrument

Recordings and Broadcasts

• LP: Jonathan Bielby Romantic Music of Yesteryear Vols. 1 to 3 (Priory)
• Casssete: Jonathan Bielby 1981 Inaugural Recital (Kirklees Leisure Services)
• Radio 2: Organist Entertains