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November marks the end of the outdoor rally scene and we all start arranging get-togethers in warmer and drier surroundings. The Amersham Fair Organ Museum is where we all met up on Sunday.
The museum opens once a month during the winter, starting Nov 1st and going through to April.
The museum is now an official registered charity and as it does not charge for admission relies heavily on donations.
It is founded on the lifetime's collection of 'Teddy' Reed who has been a fairground organ enthusiast for over half a century.
As you can see on the above picture there are tables and seating, and what you can't see is the seemingly unending supply of tea, coffee and excellent cakes.
The large organ on the right is known as "The Sleigh Bell Marenghi" as up along the top is a large row of these bells. This organ comes into its own at the Christmas do on Sunday 13th December.
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These gatherings are an excellent chance to meet up and discuss news and especially new music or new goodies being produced.
Yesterday was my lucky day as I have been after two ladies for years now but with no success!
Not quite what some of you are thinking but I expect Deb will know what I mean.
"Lady Bell Ringers."
Well it now appears that someone, Alan Pell actually, is now selling small 10" high figures.
Just the right height for my organ front.
My friend Dennis had seen these and taken some photographs, enlarged them and the cut them out with a craft knife.
He brought a couple of these cut-outs for me to try on my organ front to see how they look.
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Not bad eh?
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Considering that is only a cut-out they don't look bad.
Now I just have to put in my order for the real thing.
I wasn't looking forward to carving my own and especially trying to get an acceptable face.
Yes, yesterday certainly started of wet and miserable but ended up better than I expected.
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If any of you would like to hear the Amersham organs in "full wind" here is a link to a video I posted up in February.
As a special favour for my friend Sage......a close up of two well developed young.....???
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.......Bell Ringers!
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The video of Amersham was great. I wished I was there to see those splendid organs. Hmmm thinking aloud now... I wonder if one of the fairs is held within easy reach of home.
ReplyDeleteThose pictures, don't look very ladylike to me they look like young gentleman... wouldn't ladies be in dresses?
ReplyDeleteStill lovely picture and go well with the background.
It is nice to hear them Val, the only drawback is that you have shout to each other to get heard.
ReplyDeleteThere is another organ museum at St Albans but I don't know over any in the Midlands.
And for Sage I have put up a larger picture. It's a sort of 'theatrical costume' I suppose. It's very traditional and you will find that a lot of organs do have skirted ladies. The Bandmasters were of course male.
I agree with Sage, they remind me of "principal boys", is that intentional Bernard and what's the story behind their origins?
ReplyDeleteThat's right....They are like using girls to play Dick Whittington in panto. I shall have to look into the origins, but they come from the fairgrounds and they of course were showmen. I have hundreds of pictures of these figures on organs but no books on their history. I shall investigate for you both.
ReplyDeleteFascinating!The day sounds like Grinders' Heaven!And glad you found your two ladies, they'll look excellent.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, those two 'ladies' are just cut-outs from a photograph. I have yet to buy the real things.
ReplyDeleteCheers....Bernard