Dining Hall & The Verio...April 05 photos

[jtaylor]

Took a few up-to-date photos while I was down at the school last weekend.....Click on each picture for a full-res version of it.

When did the organ get moved into the Dining Hall? Isn't this the one from the Music School?

Dining Hall & Verio:-

[tobeconfirmed]

The organ was moved maybe 3 or so years ago I think. No idea why - never ever used.

[ben ashton]

maybe its another target in food fights, to attract pupils aim away from the paintings... [easier to clean ]

[Great Plum]

It was moved as I believe it was felt by some governors (or someone high up) that it was in the wrong place and couldn't be used... so they put it in Dining Hall which has the acoustics of a cava and wonder why it's never used...

[Nyort]

I believe it is only ever used once a year - the Christmas Carol in Dining Hall.

[Sergiu Panaite]

As said above, I remember it being used for Carol Concerts and not much more - some people might practice on it occasionally, but I do remember one of the more recent organists complaining about the acoustics.

[BEANY]

THE VERIO PICTURE IN THE DINING HALL

FROM BRIAN HAYNES 1936-1943

I SAW A LOT OF THIS PIC AS BEING IN PEELE A OUR TABLE
WAS IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF THE ROSTRUM
OUR HOUSEMASTER MR J N B SERGENT WAS IN CHARGE OF THE HALL
I FLICKED SOME FLAB, MISSED MY TARGET AND ENDED UP CLEANING PART OF THE VERIO PIC.
MR SERGENT MADE ME MEMORISE THE CAPTION AND TO THIS DAY I STILL REMEMBER IT


CHARLES THE 2ND DIED BEFORE THE PICTURE WAS FINISHED(d1685)
JAMES THE 2ND WAS ON THE THRONE FROM 1685 TO 1701.

SO TO KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY THE VERIO PAINTED THE BODY OF ONE KING AND THE HEAD OF
ANOTHER !!! OR SO I WAS LED TO BELIEVE!!!!

[kerrensimmonds]

Blimey... questions about the organ in Dining Hall! Wonder if they have been answered elsewhere on the Forum?

It's actually the Fr Willis organ which came down from Hertford. Originally located in the Dining Hall in Hertford, but in the 1950's moved to a raised platform on the wall of the School Hall, during refurbishments of that area. It's a very special and rather precious organ.

On the merger, it was moved to a room in the Music School at Horsham, where it could not be used to its full potential. With money donated from the now-defunct CH Club and from the also now defunct Old Girls's Association in memory of Jean Morrison (last HM at Hertford, who spent one more year as Deputy Head at Horsham), the Fr Willis was restored and relocated in Dining Hall at Horsham in October 2002. I was very much part of the plan for relocating it, attended the inaugural concert (and wept to hear it again). There is a commemorative plaque attached to it, explaining its provenance.

Today it is the only organ at Horsham which is functioning properly......a recital scheduled for the Chapel in December 2008 had to be moved to the Fr Willis at short notice, due to problems with the Chapel organ. I gather that Big School organ is virtually defunct.

[michael scuffil]

The Big School organ is the oldest, it was in the Hall in Newgate Street. My fondest memory of it dates from a Thursday morning assembly (introduced by CMES for the purpose of making announcements). There was an organist on duty for the hymn, of course. and he would play something or other as we all left. On this occasion he (it was John F. Rust, the director of music) played the Wedding March for reasons we couldn't fathom. When we returned to the house, the papers had come and we discovered that our housemaster, John Page, believed by all to be a confirmed bachelor, and no longer the youngest, had got engaged to the daughter of Derrick MacNutt.

If the Big School organ is defunct, it would be a pity. It was a powerful thing.

[Crippen]

Shame to see those marvellous old wooden tables covered in what looks like fakey wood laminate. Health & Safety gone mad no doubt!

[J.R.]

Shame to see those marvellous old wooden tables covered in what looks like fakey wood laminate. Health & Safety gone mad no doubt!

That's exactly what I thought on my first visit back to the school after the 're-organisation' !

[Wuppertal]

Re: Big School organ, I heard it played a few times while I was there (1998-2005), it was still used now and again and was not totally abandonned. It was used for some headmasters' assemblies amongst other things.

[Great Plum]

I remember the Hertford organ in the room in the music school being used for a lot of practices... (it was far too big to use in that little room really!) The trouble with Dining Hall is that the acoustics are terrible!

Fortunately, the chapel organ is firing on all cylinders again and was first played at Rob and James' memorial service - I forgot how powerful it is...

I only recall the Big School organ being used a few times whilst at CH - I know some people practiced on it but I should think that it probably needs many thousands of pounds work on it. I understand it suffers from damp which is why those two strange humidifiers are on the wall next to it!