On the Case

A new organ was built in 1858 by the London firm J. W. Walker & Sons for the 12th century Norman Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, UK. This was a substantial instrument and yet no images of how it looked in the North Transept gallery exist apart from a tantalising view of a pedal tower in both a newspaper article print and a photograph. For 30 years the organ sounded out from this favoured spot until it was unceremoniously crammed into an Aisle Arch and Triforium, separating it into two parts and creating the need for actions that still to this day cause problems for player and those responsible for maintenance. This project uses contemporary letters between the organ builders and the clergy and churchwardens at Romsey Abbey. Many interesting personalities come forward in the quest for where the Organ Committee should place the organ in the building. In gathering information from correspondence, historical records and other sources, Robert Fielding, Organist & Master of the Choristers at Romsey Abbey 2004-2015, pieces together as close a visual description of what this remarkable instrument looked like when first built. Along the way, interesting insights into Victorian society and the challenges of providing an expensive and mechanically challenging organ for the parish come to light.