Fitzhardinge Society Visit to Harrison & Harrison

In June, members and friends of the Fitzhardinge Society travelled to Durham to visit Harrison & Harrison, the specialist firm working on the restoration and refurbishment of the Cathedral organ.

Following a wonderful, guided tour of Durham Cathedral, the party was met at Harrison & Harrison by the Andy Scott, Managing Director. Having joined as an apprentice in 1994, he has held positions as London Tuner and Head Voicer, before being appointed to his current position in 2022.

Andy explained the mechanics of an organ and why it is essential to have proper maintenance and adjustment to keep them in good working order. Organs are sensitive to climatic conditions and components, stops, and keys may operate sub-optimally creating challenges for the organist.

The shop floor was full of Bristol Cathedral’s Walker organ and the group enjoyed a fascinating tour, learning about the manufacturing disciplines needed to build and restore an organ. This included woodwork, metal work, and leather work for bellows, as leathers can crack and if the wood distorts sliders will nor slide, and we witnessed the keyboards being meticulously cleaned.

The voicing room provided a perfect fusion of art and science, where the group paused to take everything in.

The skill, devotion, care and pride of the Harrison & Harrison workforce, and their dedication to their craft, was remarkable, and all those from the Fitzhardinge Society who witnessed this, said that the Bristol Cathedral organ is undoubtedly in very good hands.

In total, the Bristol Cathedral Trust Organ Restoration Appeal has raised £2.2 million pounds, and we were thrilled to have with us our principal project donor, Liz White. She is the niece of Harry Crook and has been supportive of the organ restoration project throughout. The Harry Crook Foundation gave the Bristol Cathedral Organ Restoration Appeal an initial gift of £1 million and then a further gift of £670 to ensure there was sufficient funding for the entire project. Without these donations the organ restoration project would simply not be happening.