John Avery (organ builder)
John Avery (c. 1738–1808[1]) was one of the main organ builders in England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.[2]
Life[edit]
Avery was mainly based in London. He had a reputation as a colourful character, occasionally falling foul of the law, being declared bankrupt in 1775[3] and again in 1801,[4] and having a reputation as a 'shocking drunken character'.[5] Despite this he was responsible for some important organs, including those in King's College, Cambridge and Winchester Cathedral.
He appeared at the Old Bailey as a witness in two trials in 1797:
- on 12 July 1797 in the trial of Henry Gray, who was accused of stealing a handkerchief from Avery's pocket.[6]
- on 20 September 1797 in the trial of Joseph Robson, who was accused of stealing Avery's tools.[7]
One of his apprentices, Alexander Buckingham, went on to work with Thomas Elliot before becoming an independent organ builder.
He died in Giltspur Street Compter.
Organs[edit]
Little work by Avery survives, but there is an organ at Ponsonby Baptist Church, New Zealand,[8] and one in the Finchcocks collection at Goudhurst, Kent.
New organs built by Avery include:
- Ditton Parish Church, Kent 1774
- St Stephen's Church, Coleman Street, London 1775
- St Michael's Mount, Cornwall 1786 (originally constructed for John Lemon, MP for Truro)
- Sevenoaks Parish Church 1788
- Quebec Chapel, Westminster 1788
- Coggeshall Parish Church, Essex 1790
- St Mary’s Church , Black Torrington 1791
- All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames 1793
- Croydon Parish Church 1794
- Lambeth Asylum 1797
- Stroud Parish Church 1798
- Winchester Cathedral 1799
- Christ Church, Bath 1800
- King's College, Cambridge 1803
- St Margaret's Church, Westminster 1804
- Carlisle Cathedral 1806
References[edit]
- ^ "ULAN Full Record Display (Getty Research)".
- ^ The Making of the Victorian Organ. Nicholas Thistlethwaite. 1999
- ^ Hampshire Chronicle, Monday 27 November 1775
- ^ Morning Chronicle, Monday 14 December 1801
- ^ The History of the English Organ. Stephen Bicknell, Cambridge University Press. 1999
- ^ Old Bailey Proceedings Online (accessed 26 March 2013), Trial of Henry Gray. (t17970712-70, 12 July 1797).
- ^ Old Bailey Proceedings Online (accessed 26 March 2013), Trial of Joseph Robson. (t17970920-67, 20 September 1797).
- ^ "Restoration of the 1779 Avery chamber organ now at Ponsonby Baptist Church, Auckland New Zealand". Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn Ltd. 2005. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013 – via Internet Archive.
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