“I’m an Organ Maker”
It’s a very easy thing to say, but for Neil Richerby, there is a lot more to his business than this simple statement suggests. He doesn’t just assemble organs, you see. Neil designs, builds and ‘voices’ (tuning to you and me) bespoke organs for a wide and varied clientele. The process involves leatherwork, metalwork and woodwork. And not just any woodwork:
“If you do one of Anselm’s woodwork courses” he says, “chances are the biggest thing you will make is a 6 foot wardrobe. Our pieces can be up to 7 metres (over 20ft) tall, and the work must be of a comparable quality to a professional cabinet maker.”
No two days are the same for a professional organ maker
Neil makes 3 or 4 bespoke organs each year in his workshop in the Lammermuirs. No two projects are the same, he says, and each design is unique. With the ever changing, challenging nature of the work, it is small wonder that organ building has been a constant passion for Neil since he first started it as a hobby, aged 14.
For more information visit: www.lammermuirpipeorgans.co.uk/
Visits on our cabinet making courses
We visit Neil in his workshop in the Lammermuirs every year as part of our 30-week cabinet making course. Every Friday morning of the cabinet making course is dedicated to visiting a different workshop or a lecture from a professional.
