WILLIAM DRAKE Ltd

Our Work

William Drake culminated his apprenticeship and work as a journeyman with the building of a small two-manual and pedal organ, now at Bristol University, for which he was awarded the German Certificate of Master Organ Builder by the Chamber of Commerce in Stuttgart.
The organ workshop was established Buckfastleigh in 1974 as part of the John Loosemore Centre for Organ and Early Music, a teaching establishment which combined tuition in organ playing, given by John Wellingham, with lectures in organ history, design and construction.  These were supplemented with practical experience of organ building in the adjacent workshop. The teaching at the Centre was suspended in 1988 without affecting the output of the workshop, which continues as an independent entity.
The work of the firm has developed towards creating organs with a strong stylistic identity, greatly influenced by the restoration of several English organs. Current new work takes inspiration from English organs of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
All instruments built by the firm have mechanical key and stop action.

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List of Organs

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Current Projects

Restoration of Richard Bridge Organ for Christ Church, Spitalfields, London

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Staff

Geert Noppers, Organ Builder, joined the firm in 1981

Joost de Boer, Organ Builder, joined the firm in 1989

Laurent Robert, Cabinet Maker, Polisher, woodcarver, joined the firm in 2004

Stanislaw Marek Matuszyk, Organ Builder, joined the firm in 2006

Julia Brown, Organ Builder, re-joined part-time in 2009

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Recordings on our Organs

The William Drake Organ at the Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair, London, played by Richard Hobson, Director of Music Music by Guilian, J. S. Bach, Purcell, Stanley, Walond and Mendelssohn on the new organ, built in an English 18th century style, in a reconstructed case from Abraham Jordan (1732). HAVPCD 156 (CD), available from heraldsales@therecordcorner.co.uk

Lulworth Castle Chapel Organ, played by Martin Souter
Music by Mozart, Haydn & C. P. E. Bach on the restored 1785 Richard Seede organ.
ISIS CD006

The 18th-Century English Organ - a Celebration. John Wellingham plays works by Arne, Bennett, Boyce, Corelli, Croft, Greene, Handel, Prelleur and Stanley on the 1785 Richard Seede organ in Lulworth Castle Chapel. PLE 2001, available from Plenum Records, 130 Southfield Road, Oxford OX4 1PA (jb@positifpress.co.uk)

	The Glory of Grosvenor, played by Richard Hobson Music by Russell, Walond, Gladwin, Keeble, Attwood and Bennett. REGCD234, available from Regent Records and Richard Hobson at HbsRNH@aol.com

 

The Excellent Art of Voluntary John Wellingham plays works by Croft, Prelleur, Walond, Goodwin, Handel, Heron, Bennett, Boyce and Camidge on the new organ at St Paul's Church, Deptford. PLE 2002, available from Plenum Records, 130 Southfield Road, Oxford OX4 1PA (jb@positifpress.co.uk)

 

Byrd to Blow Robin Walker plays works by William Byrd, John Bull, Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Tomkins, Henry Purcell, and John Blow, on the organ at St Giles-in- the-Fields, London HAVPCD 363, available from Herald and Robin Walker (theorganist@btinternet.com)

Let the pealing organ blow Jonathan Bunney plays works by Handel, John Bull, John Stanley, Josef Rheinberger, Klaas Bolt, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, Nigel Ogden, Henry Purcell and Jeremiah Clarke. REGCD313, available from Regent Records.

E H Warrell plays the organ of St Paul's, Deptford Works by G F Handel, Matthew Camidge, J S Bach, R Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells EHW001, available from Chris Warrell, 36 Allenswood Road, Eltham, London SE9 6RP

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Hire Organs

Hampshire: Nigel Gardner nigel@premiersystems.ltd.uk  02380 811116

Oxford: John Brennan  jb@positifpress.co.uk  01865 243220

Kent: Dr Stephen Coles tudeleyfestival@aol.com 01732 773322 / 07760 995276

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