The 2009 Robin Jennings Organ

The Robin Jennings chamber organ

This beautiful organ was commissioned from Dorset builder Robin Jennings by Simon FitzGerald, organist at St John's and installed in December 2009. The organ is owned by Simon, but is currently housed in St John's, where it is used as an integral part of the music making in the church.

Robin Jennings specialises in building small organs, and has instruments installed around the world. Customers include, amongst others, the Temple Church, London; St Paul's Cathedral, London; John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir; the Sultan of Oman; the RSAMD, Glasgow; and La Scala, Milan.

The design of the organ was inspired by baroque organs from North Germany, but is certainly not a slavish copy. The key and stop action is mechanical; the sound is bright with a light chiff - a delightful contrast to the fuller sound of the main Walker organ. The casework, including the carvings, is of English oak, with walnut details around the keyboard. The accidentals and carved stop knobs are of blackwood. The specification is as follows:

Manual C-f3, 54 notes

Gedact 8f Stopped wood throughout
Principal 4f Bass: open wood; Tenor/Treble: open metal
Flöht 4f Bass: stopped wood; Tenor: chimney, metal; Treble: open metal

Hand carved decoration
Detail of the hand carved pipe shades

Detail of the keys
Detail of the carved blackwood stop knobs, and 'baroque' decoration of the keys

The back of the organ, showing the keyboard and stop knobs.