Wyvern Church Organs | Builders of the finest church organs

Builders of the finest pipeless oragsn

St Peter and All Souls Church, Peterborough

This fine Catholic church in the centre of Peterborough had a free standing pipe organ of little merit. This was installed in the gallery without regard for the aesthetics of an attractive rear window that it was partially obscuring. In addition to building a new organ we were asked to address the problem of this unsightly organ case that we replaced with two separate chambers at each end of the gallery, thereby revealing the west end window in its former glory. The cases are fronted with polished nickel organ pipes and are sufficiently deep to allow for the speaker cabinets to be turned diagonally in order to direct the sound throughout the nave.

Kingswood Unitarian Chapel, Hollywood, W.Midlands

Here we have installed a new organ in addition to a very poor single manual and pedal pipe organ. The newly installed Minuet model, complete with two speakers mounted on top of the swell box, now fills the chapel with a glorious sound.

The Minuet has 21 speaking stops and is an ideal solution for a smaller church such as this, with a tone quality that far exceeds its modest price.

Fiveways Unitarian Chapel, Birmingham

After hearing the installation at Kingswood, we were asked to install a Minuet in this lovely modern chapel. The original small two manual and pedal pipe organ had been built using the console and pipe work from a larger organ in the previous church, now demolished. However, for numerous reasons, this instrument was becoming troublesome and its location made maintenance difficult.

The Minuet has been installed with four external speakers sited in the vacated chamber, behind the screen at the rear of the dais.

St Helen’s Church, Dry Sandford, Oxon.

During term time the local Cothill School fill this church every Sunday. The existing instrument, a single manual and pedal pipe organ, has a pleasing sweet tone but is totally inadequate.

Having been greatly impressed by the Wyvern at St. Johns Parish Church at Hook, we were invited to build an instrument of similar proportions. Accordingly we have now installed an illuminated stop-tablet instrument of 28 carefully chosen stops plus a Swell Octave coupler. With an eight channel audio system (six nave and two chancel) they now have an instrument with adequate power to accompany a full church, yet variety and delicacy to accompany fine music sung by the choir.

As with all historic buildings, we pay special attention to the aesthetics of the installation; the design of the console and, in particular the speaker system. In this case, the nave speakers have been discretely installed above the wall plate, while the chancel speakers have been mounted on the roof timbers in the vestry.

St Thomas a Beckett, Pagham, West Sussex

Due to a severe electrical storm in the village, the organ (Bradford technology) and other equipment were badly damaged. The opportunity was taken to rebuild the existing drawstop console using our custom system technology. At the same time additional speakers were installed to enhance the audio system and there were also revisions to the specification. The instrument now equates to a Wyvern model C220 – a modest stop list but a superb sound that is highly appropriate for this historic church! The general consensus is that this rebuild has totally transformed the instrument.

St Luke’s Milland & Rake

This fine drawstop organ has recently been installed for St Lukes Parish Church Milland near Petersfield, Hants. The organ has 38 stops (45 ranks) over three manuals, but also has two entirely separate specifications - British and German.

The organist, Leslie Lloyd takes up the story...

Thornhill Parish Church, Dumfries.

This attractive Parish church is situated at Thornhill a few miles north of Dumfries. It is a large building with a gallery around three sides and a seating capacity of 300 or so. The existing pipe organ a Compton was situated at the rear of the gallery with the console (also in the gallery) nearby – not an ideal location as the organist was too close to the pipes separated from the congregation.

The chamber did provide a spacious home for a generous audio system that included an 8’ pedal column. The new organ a custom built two manual (or as it was in this case a rebuilt Wyvern console) is situated at ground floor level so the organist can now hear the organ as others do. The organist Dr. Donald Millar was so delighted with the outcome that he had a similar organ built for his own home.

Fossoway St Serfs and Devonside, Crook of Devon

This small church was built in 1729 and lies in the Parish of Fossoway just to the west of Kinross. The previous organ, a single manual pipe instrument with a reduced compass keyboard and reduced pedalboard, was also tonally limited with just three manual pitches 8’ 4’ 2’ and no mixture work. There was a single independent pedal rank at 16’, all other ranks merely being coupled from the manual.

The new organ, generously donated by the late Captain Anthony Wilks is based upon the specification of the popular Wyvern C220 designed specifically for smaller village churches. This organ has been built with 27 ranks that include two Mixtures and 16' reed on the Swell. The existing pipe organ case is retained and has been adapted to install the five-channel audio system to retain the clean lines and symmetry of the building.

“The Church are loving the new organ. I played it for them at the special Dedication Service – their Choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus and we hade the Coronation version of the Old100th – for which the Solo Trumpet got fully “displayed”!! It is clearly a great success!! It is so incredibly close to the pipe sound.”
Bruce Inglis, Organist Fossoway St Serf’s

The Parish Church of St Michael, Workington, Cumbria.

The Parish Church of St Michael suffered a devastating fire in September 1994. The Church authorities saw the devastation as an opportunity to bring the building into the twenty-first century. The architect John Bailey was commissioned to draw up plans that included a library, meeting rooms and a Lady Chapel suitable for mid-week worship. Wyvern were asked to submit a scheme for a replacement organ worthy of this large building and suggested a three manual drawstop organ with a large speaker system. The stop list was drawn up in consultation with the organist Michael Cullen.

The custom instrument was designed to be both an accompanimental instrument but also capable of playing music from French, English and German schools. It now supports congregational singing and the power of the full swell is heard rumbling in the background for choir anthems and accompaniment of prayer book psalms, as well as modern liturgy.

“The organ has turned out exactly as I pictured it. It fulfils every purpose it is used for. It is so pipe like”. Michael Cullen Organist.
“Wyvern proved to be an efficient supplier with concise expert advice and prompt responses, with spatial and electrical technical requirements, installation and commissioning”. John Bailey Architect.

Notting Hill and Ealing High School

A Wyvern Pastorale 220 has just been installed in this school located in West Ealing, London. The school founded in 1873 has been a leader in education for girls for over 130 years and maintains a reputation for academic excellence at both the junior and senior levels and has a thriving music department. This Wyvern Pastorale is now the centrepiece of the Recital Hall.

St James Parish Church, Birdham

The very pretty church of St James is just a stone throw away from beautiful Chichester Harbour. This well attended church not only found the limited pipe organ inadequate for large congregations but also, the space it took up was desperately needed.

The new Wyvern B228 console sits unobtrusively at the front of the nave on the north side, opposite the choir. The design and historic nature of the building required a sensitive installation plan draw up in consultation with the diocese. In particular this involved placing speakers in a discreet manner that would be visually unobtrusive and aesthetically conducive to this Grade II listed building. Accordingly five cabinets have been fixed above the wall plate on both sides of the nave. In addition, a half column for low pedal frequencies has been positioned close to the console.

The impressive result produces a fine sound, capable of accompanying the largest of congregations.

St. John the Baptist, Loxwood.

This attractive Victorian church is on the Surrey/Sussex border at Loxwood. The original pipe instrument had been replaced by an electronic organ of the 1980’s and although still serviceable it suffered from having a specification that was too large for the building and a somewhat minimal audio system. The new instrument has a more appropriate specification of twenty-eight stops and is built into a used a stock pipe organ console that we refurbished and polished to match the interior woodwork. This was then fitted with new keyboards, motorised drawstops and a completely new generator system. The original pipe chamber was opened up to provide sufficient room for the new audio system. The general consensus is that in every respect the organ looks and sounds like a pipe organ that was designed for the building.

Dear Graham, many thanks for your note following your visit to Loxwood recently. I was playing there this morning. The instrument sounds fantastic now-just the right amount of reverb on which point you were absolutely right! Glad too to have the Trumpet stop head. Just the facade to do and it's finished!! Thank you so much for all you have done - it's a very fine instrument.
With very best wishes,
Tony Hancock, St John the Baptist, Loxwood.

Urr Parish Church, Castle Douglas.

Many years back in the ‘analogue’ days we built two very popular models the Wyvern DS20 and its larger derivative the DS40. These had solid traditional drawstop consoles that have proven to last the test of time and, if they do become available, make ideal rebuilds for the new Wyvern system.
When I first visited this lovely church with a view to replacing the failing pipe organ, it was apparent that a traditional drawstop organ would suit the architecture of the church but funds would have been stretched. When a DS20 came back as a part exchange it seemed an ideal re build candidate for the church.

St Georges Church, Dumfries.

Some years ago we built a large three manual organ for Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, the Scottish border. This magnificent building had a huge tower that dominated the skyline of the town but sadly the repair bills began to outstrip the resources of the congregation and the building was forced to close.

Residence Organ Mr. M. Eddy Gloucester.

“I had for some years a 2 manual instrument which had served its purpose as a home practice instrument but it had none of the modern playing aids nor was its tonal aspects anything to get excited about either. Having now moved house I wanted a 3 manual instrument that would not only be a suitable practice organ but would also be a substantial instrument in its own right and one that I would thoroughly enjoy playing.

So where do you start? Having come from the world of purchasing I knew that making a decision for something this complex was going to take some months and a lot of market research. If you are not careful and thorough in your approach, you can easily be swept away on a wave of initial enthusiasm for what might appear, at first sight, to look and sound to be “ exactly what you are looking for”.

The Basilica of our Lady Queen of Ireland, Knock, Co. Mayo.

Knock, in County Mayo, is home to one of the most famous shrines of the Catholic Church: The Basilica of Our Lady Queen of Ireland. In 1988 we were privileged to build a 3 manual and pedal custom organ for this imposing building. This organ has been used almost daily since it’s installation nearly twenty years ago and has been heard by thousands of pilgrims who travel there each year.

Hexagonal in shape, the building seats 5000 but can accommodate 7000 for special occasions. The altar forms the centrepiece, from which radiates five chapels, each seating 1000. The organ and choir occupy a part of one of these chapels. Our main preoccupation at that time was to provide an even and adequate volume throughout the vast building that we achieved by mounting a full audio system high up in the roof of each chapel.

Residence Organ Mr F. Rumsey, Guildford

I was looking for a new practice organ to replace the ageing Compton 365 I had been using for a few years. After some serious homework lasting some six months I narrowed my decision down to a couple of options based on different methods of tone production. In the end I decided to go for an organ based on the Wyvern WPX system as it represented the best compromise for me between price and the pipe-like sound quality I was looking for.

Lorne and Lowland Parish Church, Campbeltown.

Following extensive research Wyvern were chosen to design and build a new organ for this fine Victorian church on the Kintyre peninsular. The resulting installation is a three manual organ of quality rather than an extensive stop list. There are 40 ranks each backed by a comprehensive audio system of 15 channels that include sub bass towers and horn arrays for solo reeds. This organ has a real presence and is unanimously considered to be a worthy alternative to the ailing pipe organ it has replaced.

The Baptist Church, Sutton, Surrey

In the past, this church had a strong musical tradition but sadly, the pipe organ was becoming too unreliable to use at concerts. A Wyvern ST348 has now been installed featuring a lighted stop-tablet console on a mobile plinth. The sixteen speakers are sited in the large pipe chamber, where much of the previous organ still exists.

The Parish Church, Titchborne, Hampshire

This ancient church features a private chapel used for centuries by the Titchborne family. Although small, the building demanded a little more than console speakers, so Wyvern installed a Minuet model with two small speakers mounted on the central beam.

St Andrew’s Parish Church, Leigh, Dorset

Following a recommendation, Wyvern installed a model Sonata in this lovely village church. The previous organ was a single manual pipe organ situated at the front of the nave, where it took up space and blocked the view for many people. The new organ is situated at the back of the church, with two speaker cabinets mounted discreetly on each side of the main nave.

St Lawrence Church, Chobham

Originally, the requirement was to supplement the Compton extension organ with digital ranks to give more flexibility, but this was ruled out by the Diocese. A change of Diocesan Advisor provided a different viewpoint and it was decided to replace the Compton completely. The new draw stop console features 34 speaking stops over three manuals, with all speakers housed in the old pipe chamber. The new organ offers considerable versatility when playing for services, festival concerts or solo performances.

Holy Sepulchre Church, Northampton

This large historic building incorporates at the western end, a replica of the Holy Sepulchre church in Bethlehem. The ageing pipe organ in the main body of the church requires restoration, but until funds can be found, an alternative was needed. If funds are to be found for the pipe organ, then only a modestly priced instrument is possible for now and yet, it must be capable of supporting variable sizes of congregation in the main body and, the round. Wyvern was asked to install a Sonata, our ever-popular standard organ but with a versatile eight channel audio system.

Embley Park School, Romsey

The previous organist of Romsey Abbey, Mr Geoffrey Williams is Director of Music here as well as being the Diocesan Organ Advisor for Winchester. Following a flood, the old Miller organ was declared unusable and so Wyvern was asked to rebuild it with new technology. With around 200 children in the chapel, the acoustic is very poor, but with careful placing of speakers, the new installation is able to accompany them effectively.

St Andrews UR Church, Brockley Park

This large Victorian building was successfully split some years ago, but still manages to provide a very lofty worship area on the upper level, with community facilities below. It was not possible to accommodate the pipe organ in the new scheme without obscuring the large feature windows. The new Wyvern organ of 28 speaking stops and six audio channels has been carefully integrated into this inviting church.

The Latymer School, Edmonton, London, N9

Following a visit to Hook, Wyvern was chosen to build a new organ for the Grand Hall, replacing an ageing pipe organ that was generally inadequate for the purpose.
The new organ has 37 speaking housed in a fine drawknob console and is required to support 500 people for assembly, teaching and the accompaniment of large Choral and Orchestral concerts. The sixteen audio channels are placed in the old pipe chamber and there are two console positions.

St Mary’s Parish Church, Charlton Kings

With a large choir capable of singing music from a Cathedral repertoire, a versatile organ is required. When the organist, Neil Fortin, heard the Hook instrument, he was convinced that Wyvern could provide the right organ for this difficult building. The new organ has 42 speaking stops, housed in a drawstop console of slightly compact dimensions, in order to fit in a space beside the choir stalls. The large audio system is situated in the north transept and consists of twelve channels.

St John the Evangelist, Hook, nr Basingstoke

Built in the 1930’s, the building was designed by Sir Edward Maufe who later designed Guildford Cathedral. Replacing a mediocre pipe organ raised up in a small gallery in the chancel, the new drawstop console is positioned at the front of the nave. With speakers positioned in the old organ chamber, the organist is now able to hear the choir properly and provide a suitable accompaniment. The 28 speaking stops include a fine solo reed playable from the swell.

Holy Cross Church, Billesley Common, Birmingham

WpX organ with 28 speaking stops in a lighted stop-tablet console and six audio channels. This organ replaced a very poor and dilapidated pipe organ, sited in a rear gallery. The new console is now at the front of the nave with manual speakers mounted high on the front roof truss and bass speakers at floor level.

Port of Menteith, Sterling

This delightful church nestles beside the beautiful Lake of Menteith - the only lake in Scotland. A gallery spans the rear of the building that also accommodated an attractive though redundant reed organ. We adapted the case of this earlier instrument and turned it through 90 degrees so that the pipework faced out down the building rather than as originally installed, facing across the gallery.

Worth Abbey

We were delighted to have been chosen to rebuild the organ for this large church that featured in the recent television documentary. The church has seating for 1500. The original organ console was retained and rebuilt with our latest WpX technology. The audio system has been extended both to provide greater separation of ranks and to add gravitase and presence.

St Saviours Episcopal Church, Bridge of Allan

This traditional drawstop organ of 25 ranks replaced an ageing Victorian instrument of similar size. Having seen a number of other digital organs the church authorities agreed that Wyvern offered by far the most convincing pipe alternative. This traditional drawstop organ of just twenty-eight ranks is complemented with a generous audio system. The project included re-modeling the pipe front. Since being completed in April 2006 the instrument has attracted widespread acclaim.

Centenary Methodist Church, Moira, Leicestershire

This small village chapel required an instrument to replace their ageing pipe organ, situated in the apse with the choir. The church wanted to preserve the appearance of their pipe organ but at the same time, save a little space, so with much work being done by church members, the old organ was stripped and positioned further back. The Wyvern organ of 25 stops in a traditional draw stop console was then fitted in the old console space, with speakers on three levels within the refurbished pipe case. The less cluttered installation looks very much as it did and yet, the organ offers far greater variety of tone. The versatile instrument includes a built-in disc recorder.

Wyvern Organ Buiders Ltd, Highbuilding Courtyard, Vann Road, Fernhurst, Nr. Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 3NL. U.K. Tel: 01428 661228 Fax: 01428 652723 email: sales@wyvernorgans.co.uk