The 15th century church of St Ia the Virgin, St Ives, faces east across the harbour and St Ives Bay. The imposing tower at the west end of the building rises some 90 feet and rewards the climber with far-reaching views across the town and bay. Records show that the church had one of the earliest organs in Cornwall. The instrument was in a loft on the south side of the nave, with access to it from a staircase in the Lady Chapel, which is still in situ, though closed off. This organ was destroyed during the Puritan era in 1647 by order of parliament, and it was to be 183 years before the church had a replacement, which was a barrel-organ, installed to play a small selection of psalm tunes for congregational singing. It was not until 1859 that the church was furnished with another keyboard organ. This was built in 1859 by Telford & Telford of Dublin, one of the leading Irish organ building firms of the day, and was installed at the east end of the north aisle in a similar position to the present organ, but, in 1897, it was moved forwards as part of a re-ordering of the chancel area when, from contemporary images of the nave and chancel, a decorated pipe façade in front of the penultimate arcade was added. This instrument gave less than 50 years’ service before it was replaced by the current instrument.
In the closing years of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century there was a major scheme of restoration and alteration in the church that culminated in the provision of a new organ, made possible by the generosity of the Trewhella family. In 1907 the West-Country firm of Hele & Co built a very fine, new organ for the church. The instrument had three manuals and pedals with 26 speaking stops and was housed in a splendid case, which is the work of West-Country wood carver, Violet Pinwill. Such is the significance and artistry of this organ case and especially that of the west-facing front, that the British Institute of Organ Studies awarded it a Grade II* Historic Organ Certificate in 2022.
The St Ia organ dates from a period when Hele’s firm was producing some of its finest work, winning contracts at such prestigious places as Winchester and Chichester Cathedrals. Writing in The Choir in July 1960, the revered organ historian, Laurence Elvin, describes the St Ives organ as “An outstanding example of Hele’s work of the period”, and goes on to say of it, “Here is an organ that is supremely musical in effect and beautifully balanced throughout”. The 1907 instrument remained unaltered for 86 years and had little more than routine tuning, maintenance and cleaning during that time. By 1993 the organ was in need of more significant work and repairs, and, at the same time, the opportunity was taken to expand the versatility of the tonal scheme, predominantly that of the Pedal department, and to replace the original pneumatic mechanisms with modern, solid-state actions. The work was undertaken by Lance Foy of Truro and the consultant was David Briggs, then Director of Music at Truro Cathedral.
For the more technically minded, the specification of the organ following the 1993 work is as follows (*1907 stops).
This instrument is widely acknowledged as one of the finest parish church organs in the county. After the Covid pandemic a series of summer lunchtime organ recitals was initiated at St Ia’s, one of the few churches outside of Truro Cathedral to offer such a programme of organ concerts. This has been attracting players not only from across the county, but from across the country and internationally. It is hoped to expand and build further on this to promote a much wider understanding and appreciation of the organ and its music beyond its liturgical role.
Since the organ last received any significant attention back in 1993, it is time to plan for a scheme of work that, at the very least, will thoroughly clean and overhaul the instrument from the effects of dust and dirt that will have accumulated during this period. The PCC has a dedicated organ fund, and, through concerts, recitals and individual donations, St Ia’s Church is working hard to ensure that a programme of work can be put into place to safeguard this very fine instrument and to inspire future generations of worshippers and concert-goers.
West Case
Jeffrey Williams at the St Ia organ
Jeffrey Williams
Principal Organist, St Ia’s Church
Organs Advisor to the Diocese of Truro
Historic Organs Co-Ordinator for the British Institute of Organ Studies