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London Bridge station organ

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The pipe organ at London Bridge station following its relocation in 2022.

The London Bridge station pipe organ, popularly known as Henry, is a Victorian pipe organ located at London Bridge station in the United Kingdom. Built in 1880, it was moved to its current location for public use in 2022 by the "Pipe Up for Pipe Organs" charity project, which had recovered the organ from Christchurch in Whetstone, north London, after the church closed in 2020.

History

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Church organ

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The pipe organ was built by Henry Jones in 1880 and nicknamed "Henry".[1][2] The console has one manual, a pedal keyboard and eight stops, and the organ blower has a 30-minute switch.[1]

The organ was installed at Christchurch, a United Reformed church in Whetstone, north London, where it remained in use until the church closed in July 2020.[3][1] It was removed the following year.[1]

Public use

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In July 2022 the organ was installed at London Bridge station − in the Stainer Street concourse, near Saint Thomas Street − by the "Pipe Up for Pipe Organs" charity project led by the organ restorer Martin Renshaw. Its relocation saved the organ and helped to raise public awareness of the loss of pipe organs from closed churches in the United Kingdom.[1][4][5] It is freely available for anyone to play,[6] and the Future for Religious Heritage organisation believes it to be the "world's first open-access railway station pipe organ".[6]

The "Pipe Up for Pipe Organs" project estimates that of the approximately 35,000 pipe organs in the United Kingdom, "up to four pipe organs a week are being stripped out and sent to rubbish tips".[6] The charity relocates British pipe organs to France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Eastern Europe.[6]

Another organ, known as "James", was moved by the project together with the London Mozart Players to Trinity Court in the Whitgift Centre, a shopping centre in Croydon, south London.[7][8]

Reception

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Following the organ's relocation to London Bridge station in July 2022,[9] a ceremony was held on 27 October 2022 to mark its installation. The event was attended by the chair of Network Rail, Peter Hendy, and the organist Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, gave a performance. Organists and Network Rail officials cited the positive reaction they observed from the public.[5][10][11][12][13]

Lapwood's performance of "God Save the King", accompanying a security guard who turned out to be a trained singer, in September 2022 had previously gone viral on Twitter.[14][15][16][17][18] In 2023 David Hill, the former organist and music director at Westminster Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and St John's College, Cambridge, performed Bach's Toccata in D minor on the organ.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "London Bridge organ". Pipe Up. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Pipe Up - for Pipe Organs". National Churches Trust. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. ^ Davis, Matt, ed. (November 2022). "News and Notes: New home for a chapel organ". Chapels Society Newsletter. No. 82. The Chapels Society. pp. 26–27. ISSN 1357-3276.
  4. ^ "Pipe Up for Pipe Organs – The Lady Organist". theladyorganist.com. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b Muir, Ellie (25 July 2022). "A Victorian pipe organ has been installed at London Bridge to serenade commuters". Time Out London. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d George, Allan. "Future for Religious Heritage". frh-europe.org. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023. free public use
  7. ^ "PIPE UP FOR PIPE ORGANS | Heritage charity fighting to save the King of Instruments". Pipe Up. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  8. ^ "London Mozart Players launches UK's first shopping centre organ". Classical Music. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  9. ^ Marshall, Alex (21 December 2022). "On TikTok, an Organist Finds an Audience, and Herself". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Church organ rehomed at London Bridge station for passengers to enjoy". RailAdvent. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Victorian church organ rehomed in the heart of London Bridge station". Network Rail Media Centre. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  12. ^ Russell, Herbie. "Victorian pipe organ installed at London Bridge Station". southwarknews.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  13. ^ "London Bridge railway station is new home for Victorian church organ". South London News. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  14. ^ Tweet with video by Anna Lapwood
  15. ^ "'Beautiful' organist duet with railway station guard began with national anthem". The Independent. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  16. ^ Somerville, Ewan (11 September 2022). "Watch: Security guard's opera tribute to Queen Elizabeth brings London train station to tears". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Duo's impromptu performance at London Bridge station in tribute to the Queen goes viral. Watch". Hindustan Times. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Cambridge organist's musical moment of sorrow goes viral". University of Cambridge. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  19. ^ "David Hill plays organ at tube station - The Bach Choir". thebachchoir.org.uk. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
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