I moved to Lancaster in November 1985 when I was invited to direct music at Lancaster Priory. I was greatly disappointed with the analogue 'organ' in the Priory, but soon learned of the fabulous pipe organ housed in the Town Hall's Ashton concert hall.

The first time I entered the Ashton Hall, I was overcome by its size and majestic grandeur. The emblazoned coats of arms on the ceiling and the three-sided gallery are impressive. I was not immediately aware of the organ at the north end to the rear and above the concert stage as the lights were not on.

However, once the lights were lit, the sheer grandeur of the Gillow Organ casework with its surmounting 'crest/coat of arms' drew one's eyes higher and higher to the crowning cappings at the top of the pipe towers.

It was at this point that I realised the scale of the instrument, with its organ console mounted in a gallery some 14 feet above stage level. I was ushered via a series of staircases at the side of the stage up to the organ loft.

I always remember being shown to the console via the internal pedal section of the organ and emerging via a full-sized door into the loft, where the magnificent chandeliers are just above eye-level for the length of the auditorium.

However, these preambles were nothing compared with the sounds that I called forth from the various departments from the keyboards.

The Swell is housed in a separate brick chamber to the right of the organ and not behind the main case. Later explorations revealed that bottom C of the Gamba 16' is a massive 9" scale and the pipe runs up the rear of the chamber, mitres twice and then runs the entire length of the chamber.

Everything about this organ is on a grand scale, so readers will not be surprised to learn that the Tuba 8' (Solo Division) is stunningly loud, even without the addition of the Sub & Super couplers. And, being mounted in the centre of the organ, just behind the front pipes it certainly 'cuts a dash'.

Every rank on the organ adds colour and warmth, but my favourite stop is located on the Pedal department. The Violone 16', with its 'rollered' mouths, has a dramatic 'on speech' pattern, and, being located in the towers on both sides of the instrument, organists are aware of the stereophonic effect of this wonderful rank.

Fortunately the builders had the foresight to extend this rank into the Great Division, Medium Diapason 8', so that the stringiness of this indescribable rank can be enjoyed in the manuals whilst the sonority of its 16' pitch excite one's imagination.

The other thing that has always rendered this organ 'The Hidden Gem in Lancaster's Royal Crown' is the vibrations it sets up from the blowers' cyclic pattern, leaving organists not only hearing this wonderful instrument, but literally being physically 'moved'.

An organ virtually untouched by 'trendy' organ builders and enthusiasts, it is a time capsule that equals any instrument produced by Hill or Willis during the same period.

This is an instrument you MUST play when in our area.

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