Cornwall’s first Grade I Historic Organ Award
In June of 2025 Cornish organ building heritage was recognised with the first Grade I Historic Organ Award from the British Institute of Organ Studies for the 1885 instrument built by Brewer & Co of Truro for the church of St Grada and the Holy Cross, Grade, on the Lizard Peninsula. This organ replaced an earlier instrument from 1862 that was considered too small for the future musical needs of the church. Thomas Brewer set himself up in business as an organ builder in the early 1870s and rapidly gained a reputation for the quality and musicality of his instruments, winning many contracts for new organs as well as restorative work to others. If there were ever any doubts as to the quality and robustness of Brewer’s organs, the instrument built for St Grada and the Holy Cross should certainly dispel them. That this organ functions at all after 140 years in such a remote and hostile environment (there is no heating or electricity at the time of writing) with infrequent tuning and maintenance, let alone that it plays as well as it does, is surely testament enough. A soundboard split was repaired by Osmond of Taunton back in the 1930s and a second-hand blower, operated by a small generator, was supplied by Lance Foy of Truro in 2005. There have been no other interventions.
Many of Brewer’s one manual and pedal instruments were variations on a theme – a simple pitch-pine case with a flat front display, sometimes stencilled, and 6 to 10 speaking stops of which the Diapason rank was usually unenclosed, and the rest of the pipes in a Venetian swell-box, with a stopped, wooden-bass common to the 8’ ranks. Most of these instruments have been rebuilt or lost. The St Grada organ, however, was custom- built for its specific location in a small chamber behind a narrow arch on the north-east side of the nave, and with an unusual semi-circular, stencilled facade of spotted metal pipes comprising the bottom end of the Open Diapason projecting outwards in front of the arch. The rest of the rank sits on a chest immediately behind the arch together with the 4’Principal, both of which have retained cone-tuning that was a practice of the time. The remaining four ranks are in the box behind, and the Pedal 16’ Bourdon is right at the back. The whole organ has been laid out neatly and compactly, and there is a pierced, architectural screen mounted at an angle above the arch to allow for egress of sound from behind. The 8’ & 4’ Principals have unforced voicing and sing beautifully in the building, and the evenly-voiced Dulciana has a gentle string timbre. The Clarabella, a flute-like sound, is not as big as is sometimes found but is, nevertheless, full-toned, and is complemented by a bright and silvery Harmonic Flute. The quality of William Brewer’s voicing (Thomas’ cousin) is very evident, despite the very dirty condition of the organ, long overdue for a major scheme of work in order to return it to its full glory. The organ was inaugurated by George Robertson Sinclair, the first organist of Truro Cathedral, on March 12th 1885, and was reported in the West Briton the following week. The following is the technical specification of the organ.
Great Manual
Open Diapason 8’ Unenclosed
Stop Diapason Bass 8’
Clarabella Flute 8 ‘
Dulciana 8
Principal 4 ‘ Unenclosed
Harmonic Flute 4 ‘
Pedal
Bourdon 16’
Great to Pedal
Bellows Call
Mechanical key and stop actions
Hitch-down swell pedal
2 x combinations pedals
Flat, straight pedalboard
Pedal stops / Manual stops
Façade pipes
Console
In reaching its decision for the historic listing of the St Grada organ, the British Institute of Organ Studies recognised that such an unaltered survivor of Brewer’s work, together with the architectural aesthetic and artistry of the whole should be awarded the highest listing. The certificate bears the following citation:-
Grade I – A very rare surviving one-manual and pedal organ from 1885 by Brewer & Co of Truro. It is beautifully voiced and robustly constructed and remains in original condition in the building for which it was commissioned.
I know of only two other Brewer organs that remain wholly unaltered and in their original location. One of these is very close by in the church of St Rumon at Ruan Minor and the other at St Newlyn East in the church of St Newlyna. Both are larger instruments than the one at St Grada, and both have Grade II* historic listings. It is highly gratifying to see surviving examples of Cornish organ building from its golden years gaining due recognition at last.
Builder’s Plate
Jeffrey Williams – August 2025
Organist and Director of Music, St Ia’s Church St Ives
Organs Advisor to the Diocese of Truro
Historic Organs Co-Ordinator for the British Institute of Organ Studies
The author at the 1857 Sweetland / 1901 Hele Organ of Redruth Wesleyan Chapel