The Organ
The Alexandra Palace Organ Appeal
Registered Charity No.:285222, London N22 7AY
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Chronology
1873
1875
1926
1929
1930
1937
1950
1960
1969
1970
1980
1980 Fire
1983
1986
1989
1993
Present
Future
The Present Instrument



The present instrument comprises some fifty restored and playing stops.

In addition to the pipework installed and playing, there exists a huge quantity of unrestored pipework which was removed from the Palace in the 1970s by the then owner of the instrument, Henry Willis IV. Ownership of this pipework has passed to The Appeal and it is safely stored until funds permit its restoration. For most of the stops awaiting restoration, at least a few pipes survive and can be used as templates for making a new rank faithful to the Willis III rebuild in 1929. For many, a large proportion of the rank exists and the original pipework will be restored. For some ranks, most notably those that had to remain in The Palace, such as the 32' flues, not a single pipe exists. Almost all of the wooden pipework rotted away due to rain exposure and will have to be made new, as, for example, was the stunning Great Clarabella during the 1985-1990 work.

The specification given here is the 1929 specification which the restoration project is working towards. Stops installed and playing in July 2009 are depicted in bold. Stops shortly to be installed and playing are depicted in red bold. If you would prefer to view a listing of only the currently installed stops then this can be found below.

Pedal Organ
10 stops from 23 restored
 
78. Double Open Bass (from 82) 32
79. Double Open Diapason 32
80. Sub Bass (from 84) 32
81. Open Bass No. 1 16
82. Open Bass No. 2 16
83. Contra Basso 16
84. Bourdon 16
85. Bass Viola 16
86. Octave 8
87. Principal (1) 8
88. Viola (from 85) 8
89. Flute 8
90. Super Octave (1) 4
91. Octave Viola (from 88) 4
92. Octave Flute (from 89) 4
93. Sesquialtera III
94. Mixture (2) III
95. Bombarde (1) 32
96. Trombone (1) 16
97. Ophecleide (2) 16
98. Clarion (2) 8
99. Octaves on Pedal Chorus (1)
100. Octaves on Pedal Chorus (2)
Choir Organ
17 stops from 17 restored
 
44. Contra Viola 16
45. Viola da Gamba 8
46. Viola Celestes (Tenor C)     8
47. Claribel Flute 8
48. Lieblich Gedact 8
49. Dulciana 8
50. Gemshorn 4
51. Viola 4
52. Nason Flute 4
53. Nazard 2 2/3
54. Piccolo 2
55. Tierce 1 3/5
56. Mixture III
57. Corno-di-Basetto 8
58. Cor Anglais 8
59. Trumpet 8
60. Clarion 4
Tremulant
Great Organ
10 stops from 21 restored
 
1. Double Open Diapason     16
2. Bourdon 16
3. Open Diapason No. 1 8
4. Open Diapason No. 2 8
5. Open Diapason No. 3 8
6. Clarabella 8
7. Quint 5 1/3
8. Octave No. 1 4
9. Octave No. 2 4
10. Flute Couverte 4
11. Octave Quint 2 2/3
12. Super Octave 2
13. Seventeenth 1 3/5
14. Furniture II
15. Sesquialtera III
16. Mixture III
17. Double Trumpet 16
18. Trumpet-harmonic 8
19. Trumpet 8
20. Posaune 8
21. Clarion 4
Swell Organ
9 stops from 22 restored
 
22. Double Open Diapason 16
23. Lieblich Bourdon 16
24. Open Diapason No. 1 8
25. Open Diapason No. 2 8
26. Flute Couverte 8
27. Rohr Flute 8
28. Salicional 8
29. Vox Angelica (Tenor C)    8
30. Principal 4
31. Flauto Traverso 4
32. Twelfth 2 2/3
33. Fifteenth 2
34. Furniture II
35. Sesquialtera III
36. Mixture III
37. Waldhorn 16
38. Cornopean 8
39. Hautboy 8
40. Vox Humana 8
41. Clarion 4
42. Contra Posaune 16
43. Trumpet 8
Tremulant
Solo Organ
4 stops from 17 restored
 
61. Violoncello 8
62. Tibia 8
63. Viole d'Orchestre 8
64. Violes Celestes (BB) 8
65. Flute-harmonique 8
66. Octave 'Cello 4
67. Concert Flute 4
68. Solo Nazard 2 2/3
69. Piccolo-harmonique 2
70. Basoon 8
71. Orchestral Oboe 8
72. Orchestral Clarinet 8
73. Tubular Bells - 20 notes    
Tremulant
74. Contra Tromba 16
75. Tromba-harmonic 8
76. Tuba-harmonic 8
77. Clarion-harmonic 4
Standard array of Willis III inter and intra-manual couplers at 16', 8' and 4' pitches, controlled via 'Tilting Tablets' above Solo Manual.
Willis III 'Toggle Touch' manuals.
Usual variety of playing aids including 8 thumb/foot pistons to each division, 8 thumb/foot general pistons.
Balanced expression pedals to Choir, Swell and Solo (Solo nonfunctional at present)
8 channel SSL piston capture system.
Adjustable crescendo pedal.

Here is an alternative stoplist, containing only those stops currently installed.

Pedal Organ
10 stops from 23 restored
 
82. Open Bass No. 2 16
84. Bourdon 16
87. Principal (1) 8
89. Flute 8
90. Super Octave (1) 4
92. Octave Flute (from 89) 4
95. Bombarde (1) 32
96. Trombone (1) 16
99. Octaves on Pedal Chorus (1)
100. Octaves on Pedal Chorus (2)
Choir Organ
17 stops from 17 restored
 
44. Contra Viola 16
45. Viola da Gamba 8
46. Viola Celestes (Tenor C)     8
47. Claribel Flute 8
48. Lieblich Gedact 8
49. Dulciana 8
50. Gemshorn 4
51. Viola 4
52. Nason Flute 4
53. Nazard 2 2/3
54. Piccolo 2
55. Tierce 1 3/5
56. Mixture III
57. Corno-di-Basetto 8
58. Cor Anglais 8
59. Trumpet 8
60. Clarion 4
Tremulant
Great Organ
10 stops from 21 restored
 
3. Open Diapason No. 1 8
4. Open Diapason No. 2 8
6. Clarabella 8
7. Quint 5 1/3
8. Octave No. 1 4
9. Octave No. 2 4
10. Flute Couverte 4
11. Octave Quint 2 2/3
12. Super Octave 2
16. Mixture III
Swell Organ
9 stops from 22 restored
 
27. Rohr Flute 8
28. Salicional 8
30. Principal 4
31. Flauto Traverso 4
32. Twelfth 2 2/3
33. Fifteenth 2
35. Sesquialtera III
38. Cornopean 8
41. Clarion 4
Tremulant
Solo Organ
4 stops from 17 restored
 
74. Contra Tromba 16
75. Tromba-harmonic 8
76. Tuba-harmonic 8
77. Clarion-harmonic 4


1990-2002 Photographs

The photographs shown here were taken at varying times over the last 15 years or so. Some show the organ prior to 1995, when the current Choir box contained the Swell and the present, elevated Swell box was absent. Some of these photos are of rather poor quality and we apologise for this.

Jonathan Scott at the console Johnathan Scott at the console in 2001
The 1990 re-opening concert The 1990 re-opening concert. Note the Phase 1 Swell box in the lower position.
Frederic Blanc at the console Frederic Blanc at the console.
The Console The Console in March 2005
Ian Tracey at the console Ian Tracey at the console
Solo section Solo section, prior to the addition of the cross-bracing members currently present.
Post-1995 A later recital, after the work in 1993-5
Boots of the 32ft reed The boot of bottom D and C of the 32ft reed, showing the Willis starter-motor.
Bottom C of the 32ft reed The longest pipe currently in the organ, bottom C of the 32ft reed. This pipe survived from the 1929 instrument and can be contrasted with D, behind it, which was remade.
Pedal Organ View of the Pedal soundboard from the front of the gallery. From front to back: Super Octave 4', Principal 8', Trombone 16', Bombarde 32'.
Pedal Organ View of the trebles of the Trombone 16' and Bombarde 32'.
Pedal Organ View of the pedal soundboard looking towards the front of the gallery.
Choir Organ The back soundboard of the Choir. Note the empty holes for the Cor Anglais (2nd from front) and the Contra Viola (back)
Choir Organ The front soundboard of the Choir.
Great Organ The Great organ soundboard. At present only one of the three is installed. From back to front: Flute Couverte 4', Octave II 4', Octave I 4', Clarabella 8', Open Diapaon I 8', Open Diapason II 8', Quint 5 1/3', Twelfth 2 2/3', Super Octave 2', Mixture III
Great Organ View beyond the right side of the Great toward the 32ft basses.
Great Organ magnets Some magnets from the Great.
Swell Organ The Swell soundboard. As with the Great, this is one of three to install. The Clarion and Cornopean are at the front.
Swell Organ The Swell Clarion.
Swell Organ The other side of the soundboard.
Swell Organ The door of the swell box looking beyond to the Hall far below.
Solo Organ The rarely-seen Solo soundboard, photographed here from the inside of the Swell box looking through the shutters. Note the comparison with this picture from the 1929 instrument
Solo Organ Looking up from Gallery level towards the Solo, showing the cross-bracing members added as a result of the structural engineer's report referred to elsewhere in this website.
Solo Organ Looking up from Gallery level towards the Solo, showing the cross-bracing members added as a result of the structural engineer's report referred to elsewhere in this website.
Solo Organ On the Solo level, looking up towards the highest pipes in the organ, the Solo Contra Tromba 16'.
Solo Organ The unenclosed Solo soundboard, looking back towards the Swell.
Solo Organ Unenclosed Solo, showing the Diapason trebles of the Tuba 8' and 4'.
Solo Organ Solo unenclosed soundboard.
Rectifier/Action The transformer-rectifier and action.
Swell shutter motor This "Whiffle tree" swell engine drives the left bank of Swell shutters. The right bank also have their own engine. Two engines running in parallel drive the single bank of Choir shutters.
Front aspect The frontal aspect of the organ, looking up from the right side of the console.
Choir (lower) and Swell (upper) boxes The Swell box sits on top of the Choir box.
Solder join, Pedal Organ The old meets the new. A new section of pipe has replaced a very badly damaged section of a pipe in the Pedal Organ.
View from the Great Passageboards The contemporary view from the Great passageboards out into The Hall. See here for a similar picture from 1929.
The three blowers The blowers, housed in a seperate plant room behind the Organ. From closest to furthest away: Heavy pressure booster, Light pressure, Heavy pressure primary. Top: heavy pressure regulator.
Tuning scrolls on the Bombarde 32' bases The bells of the some of the 32' bases showing the tuning scrolls.
Choir Organ Choir Organ, back soundboard, showing empty Cor Anglais holes.
Choir Organ Choir Organ, front soundboard.
Choir Organ Choir organ, C# side.
Clarabella, Great Organ One of the many enchanting voices on the Organ, the Clarabella 8' on the Great.
Front view Frontal view of the organ.
Front view Frontal view of the organ.
Great Organ Great Organ.
Great Organ Great Organ, after recent cleaning.
Great Organ Great Organ.
Great action primaries Great Organ primary action. Note the unusual action sliders.
Great regulators Great Winding system, two small regulators per side feeding via flexible bags.
Side view Side view. Note staircase to Swell.
Electrical switchgear Switching unit for organ action and the three blowers.
Contra Viola Contra Viola pipes awaiting restoration.
Contra Viola Contra Viola pipes awaiting restoration.
Contra Viola Contra Viola pipes awaiting restoration.