Peter Conacher & Company

Picture of Springwood Music Workshops
Conacher & Company... Organ Conservation for Posterity.
Peter Conacher & Company ~ Established 1854

Changing attitudes towards the conservation of pipe organs demand responsive personal attention to all aspects of this work.

A well-considered approach and a thorough understanding of the techniques concerned is necessary to conserve this country's organs for future generations.

Our services include:

Peter Conacher & Company is included on The Conservation Register maintained by the Conservation Unit of The Museums & Galleries Commission

Ethics.
At Conacher & Company we work to an established ethic which can basically be summed up as "carry out no alterations that can not be reversed."

Conservation Work.
In Conservation work the materials we use are as close as possible to those used in the original construction of the instrument.

The work is documented, with photographs, and any parts that have had to be replaced are stored within the organ for future reference.

An example of our work is the badly-holed wooden pipe.

To stabilise the pipe, the wood-boring insects will have to be destroyed. For this we do not use oil-based fluids - these leave a residue which alters the characteristics of the timber. Instead we use a gas treatments or freezing techniques which destroy the insects and allow the artefact to return to its original state.

If the pipe is un-sound it will not speak properly. The holes could, for example, be filled in with epoxy resin but this could never be removed. In this situation we would consider providing a replacement pipe and storing the original, with documentation, with the instrument.

Restoration.
Restoration is only carried out where it can be justified within our work ethic.

Difficulties arise where alterations have taken place after the original conception and construction of the instrument. Back to which point should the restoration be taken? Which builders' work is worthy of restoration? Can we improve the work of the past?

Each instrument must be appraised individually, but it is not our position to judge the work of earlier times and then change it to suit modern trends.

That is why Conacher & Company specialises in conservation work - a form of treatment that is intended to stabilise and protect the instrument for posterity.

Conservation & Restoration.
Careful conservation work is very often undertaken with partial restoration in order for an organ to fulfil its rôle as a working musical instrument.

Many organs respond so well to conservation work that little or no restoration work is needed. This not only helps to preserve the historical integrity of the instruments, but can also help to preserve the funds of the organs' custodians!

Conacher & Company offers a wide range of services to the custodians of pipe organs, reed organs and harmoniums.

For more information please contact Conacher & Company

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