The Liverpool Bluecoat School was founded in 1708 as the
Liverpool Bluecoat Hospital. In 1875 Henry Willis provided an organ for the School Hall. When the school moved out of Liverpool to
Wavertree at the begining of the twentieth century the organ was moved to the new buildings and erected in Shirley Hall.
In 2019 the decision was made to refurbish the hall and the opportunity was taken to include the organ in this project.
The organ was removed from the school to our factory and was completely restored. The ill-informed changes and poor repairs
by previous builders were also reversed. Many parts of the instrument had been run through an electric planer which had left scars,
there had been historic water damage to the keyboards, the Boated Pallets had been done away with and the Trackers and Stickers had
been changed for a mix of round, square and sliver section Trackers
The School is lucky to possess two pipe organs, the other
being in the school chapel. The school has launched a project called Pipe Up which is to inspire the next generation of organists,
to provide organ scholarships and to give the opportunities for young organists to have lessons on the school's two organs as well
as the city's two cathedral organs.
The organ is dismantled in its entirety and laid out
over the Hall floor ready for transportation to our factory
One of the school's organ scholars
takes and interest and lends a hand
The photographs above have been reproduced
with the kind permission of
Charlotte Graham, Photographer
who was visiting to document the removal
for the Daily Telegraph
The Soundboards are stripped down for restoration
Where the Tables are split, or have come away
from the Grid, they are pegged and screwed
After new fillings are fitted, the Soundboards
are deep flooded with hot glue
The Bars are drained
The holes are burned and the Tables are shot
The Soundboard Tables are re-grooved
The Tables are Black-leaded
The Slides & Bearers are trued
Putting back the support for re-instating the Boated Pallets
The Buckram Undercloth is cut and applied
and the Pallets are laid down on the Bars
The Upperboards had been bled
in an attempt to cure runnings
Plugs are cut and the bleeds are filled
The Upperboards are polished
and the Bearers are papered
The Slides are lubricated with Colloidal Graphite
and the Soundboard is re-assembled
The Pedal Chests are stripped down and restored
G. Amies, Dec 14 1875
The Pedals of the Willis Swan Neck Pedalboard
had been put through a planer
at some point, making them too thin
New Pedals are made and the sharps
now have the correct profile
The Keys are restored and the Console is rebuilt
The Bellows are stripped and re-leathered
on the Building Frame
re-leathering a Concussion
Attention to detail
in position on
the Great Wind Trunk
Cedar is fed into the Tracker Macking Machine
to make round section
Trackering material
All new Trackers and Stickers have to be made
The Square Beams and Rollerboards are connected up
The Trackers are connected and the action is set up
Pedal Trackers
Drawstop Action
A new Kneeboard is
made of oak as
the original had been replaced
with ill-fitting plywood
The Console re-assembled
The restored Drawstop Pulls are put
into the Jambs and are ready
to be connected to the action
The Swell Box is built up
Reeds in the metalshop for restoration
Flues receiving attention in the Metalshop
and on the Voicing Machine
The Casework is stripped and remade. A new Rail is manufactured to replace the missing piece
A television crew takes an interest
The organ is dismantled
and removed from the factory
to be installed in
the refurbished
Shirley Hall
