Worship
The St Barnabas Organ
Originally built by Gerard Smith and opened by S. S. Wesley in 1851, our organ is a fine English Romantic instrument.
The organ was previously at St Jude’s Church, Southsea. It was originally built by Gerard Smith as a two-manual instrument, and opened by S. S. Wesley in 1851. In 1877 it was enlarged by Hill & Son to three manuals and forty-five ranks.
Removed from St Jude’s in 2007, it was rebuilt and restored at St Barnabas by Nicholson & Co of Malvern in 2011 — converted to electro-pneumatic action, its pitch lowered to A=440, and modern playing aids added, while carefully preserving Hill’s 1877 stop specification. The result is a fine English Romantic instrument, suited to a wide repertoire, sited in the west-end gallery. The manuals have a compass of 56 notes, the pedals 30.
A community achievement
The rebuilding project cost over £400,000. It was made possible by a generous bequest from Hazel Baker, former Organist and Director of Music, who served the church for forty years and died in 2010. The project was chaired by John Hudson, advised by organ adviser Paul Joslin, and supported by Hugh Mather, who raised over £100,000 through a series of concerts.
Those concerts continue today: the organ is heard regularly in recitals and at the Sung Mass, and visitors are always welcome to come and listen.