George Street Chapel, Oldham Pipe Organ
Andrew Fielding
The pipe organ at George Street Chapel was bought in 1890. It may have been second hand, but was installed by JP Croft of Manchester, organ builders George Benson. The Sunday School, built in 1830 had pianos and a harmonium. The chapel’s musical instruments were sold in 1892.
There is a photograph of the first Harvest Festival in 1899, which shows the original decoration. This was later over painted but was uncovered again during our restoration works of 2013.
We are interested in hearing from anyone who has a similar organ built by George Benson.
We have a Youtube channel which shows the restoration of the organ. The final sequence shows it being rebuilt and played.
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We have an 1890 Benson organ in our church. Totally original. There is a book on Benson organs by William Morgan which will answer many of your questions and is very informative.
I can tell you who J P Croft was who installed the organ. And I would like to know where other organs were that he installed. He was James Percy Croft who was born in Middleham, Yorkshire, in 1861, son of Angelo James Croft and his wife Mary nee Gill. His father, and many of his uncles and cousins, were plumbers and glaziers. James Percy Croft went to Leeds as an apprentice organ builder and married Emily Whitehead there in 1888. He then moved to Manchester, I think to work for Bensons, and lived in Manchester the rest of his life where he had two sons, Angelo and Percy Emil, and two daughters, Evina Ruth and Winifred Margaret. I would welcome any other bits of information about James Percy Croft. I think he died in 1941.
I have a postcard addressed to Mr Percy Croft care of G Benson esq, Organ Builder, Cornbrook Park Road, Old Trafford, Manchester, which was sent from New Zealand, from Ernest Rigby
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