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Accession No 1898.156
Name/Title BARREL ORGAN; WILLIAMS BARREL ORGAN
Brief Description A mechanical barrel organ encased in a faux oak case with faux gilded wooden pipes, the first barrel organ in New Zealand came in 1829, as a bequest from their uncle John Marsh in England, to Archdeacon Henry Williams and his brother William Williams when they were stationed as missioners in the Bay of Islands. The organ includes three barrels with ten hymns on each. In 1898 Henry Williams' grandson Reverend Alfred O Williams, together with the Wanganui Public Museum curator Samuel Drew, travelled to the Bay of Islands and collected the organ, bringing it back to Wanganui, where Drew restored it in time to play hymns for Easter Sunday of that year.

More recently this organ has again been conserved and restored and is now played regularly in the Museum.The hymns identified on the rollers are the 'Old Hundredth', 'God Save the King", 'O God our help in ages past', 'Christ the Lord has risen', 'Come thou everlasting spirit', 'O, for a heart to praise my God', 'A charge to keep I have' and 'O worship the King'.

To operate the pipes, a roller of about six inches in diameter is placed in position in the back of the organ and turned by a geared handle, which engages another gear connected with the handle. At the same time the bellows are worked by a foot pedal. There are four straps which control the volume of sound, the treble and the bass notes.

Maker's name: A Buckingham (Foreman to the late Mr Avery and Mr Elliot), Church and Organ Builder, No 39 Frederick Place, Hamstead Place, London.
Classification Musical T&E/T&E For Communication/Nomenclature
Credit Line The first barrel organ in NZ, sent as a gift through a bequest to Archdeacon Henry Williams and his brother William Williams, from their maternal uncle in England, John Marsh, to Paihia, Bay of Island, in 1829. Later installed in the new church at Pakaraka in April 1851. In 1867 it passed into the possession of Henry's eldest son, Edward Marsh Williams, who in 1898 lent it to the Whanganui Regional Museum, through his son, the Rev. Alfred Owen Williams, who was based in Whanganui.
Primary Maker Buckingham, Alexander (active 1821-1828)
Primary Prod Date 1829
Primary Prod Period 19th century
Primary Prod Place London/England
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