Organ - Christ Church Cathedral - Nassau, Bahamas - Musical Instruments on Waymarking.com

Christ Church Cathedral has a history of fine pipe organs that date back to 1864 when an organ made by Lewis and Sons was installed. The air supply was by manual labor until 1920 when an electric pump was installed. The Kimball Organ Company rebuilt the aging instrument and moved the pipes from the front of the Cathedral to the west gallery in 1935. The console remained in the front and air was conveyed to the pipes via ducts running along the south ceiling. After nearly a century of service, having weathered the hurricane of 1929 and fire damage, the Lewis organ was retired and in 1954 replaced by a Walker Organ. In 1986, two new organs were installed, both made by the Oberlinger Company. The great organ is arguably the finest in the region. It was featured in the American Guild of Organists Journal of April 1987. It has 3 manuals, 64 ranks and 3200 pipes. The organists of the cathedral are Ron Clarke, Clarice Granger, Cathy Jirjahlke, Jackie Petersen and Dr. Sparkman Ferguson (titular organist).

Christ Church Cathedral is the "Mother Church" of all of the Anglican churches in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. In 1670, King Charles II granted the colony (of the Bahamas) to the Lord Proprietors of Carolina. The Proprietors were instructed to "build churches and chapels in furtherance of the Christian Religion."

The first church building for the Parish of Christ Church was built between 1670 and 1684. It stood to the west of the present building, on what is now known as West Hill Street. It was later destroyed by the Spaniards in 1684. The second building, believed to have stood to the east of the present building in the area of what is now Frederick Street, was completed in 1695. It was destroyed by the Spaniards in 1703. The third bilding was completed in 1724 at the present site and was made of wood, like all of those before it.

The fourth building, made of locally quarried cut stone replaced the wooden church in 1754. A steeple was added in 1774. In 1827, the steeple was found in a very dangerous condition and was taken down. A new square tower, the existing one, was erected in its place in 1830.

In 1834 an Act was passed by the legislature for the enlargement of Christ Church which was to be connected to the square tower and was to incorporate the other features of the fourth church. The fifth church building, still in use, was opened for services in 1841 and incorporates the tower, a striking feature of the fourth church. The building was extended to the east in 1861 to include the area occupied by the present sanctury and a part of the present chancel or choir. In 1861 Christ Church Parish Church became a Cathedral and Nassau became a city. The Cathedral remains a historic landmark.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/31/2023 jiggs11 visited it