Cor Carthusianum.
The Heart and Soul of Charterhouse Organ Appeal
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If our Chapel services are the voice of the School, then the organ is its heartbeat.
Timothy Parsons (B10)
Preserve
Pay homage to the rich history of music at Charterhouse by helping us secure a new organ by 2027, in time for the 100th anniversary of the consecration of Memorial Chapel.
Enrich
By making a gift towards the new organ, you will help us provide a versatile and robust instrument to educate and accompany congregations.
Inspire
The organ is intrinsic to each unique Charterhouse experience. By coming together as a community, we can excite a lifelong affinity to the instrument for future generations of Carthusians.
Cor Carthusianum
The Heart and Soul of Charterhouse
Music has been the heart and soul of Charterhouse and our community for over 400 years; many will recall the sea of voices within Chapel, accompanied by the organ powerfully providing a heartbeat and rhythm to daily life at School.
As with all great things, the lifecycle of our organ, which has served Charterhouse resolutely since 1927, has come to an end. For a number of years we have struggled with intensifying challenges, but we have now reached the point where the organ is beyond repair. We are excited to be in a position to share with you our plans for the School’s new organ. Meticulously designed to reinvigorate the heart of Charterhouse with a unique tonal sound, our organ will educate and inspire future generations throughout the next century.
We are delighted to be working with Nicholson & Co. Ltd, who have understood our vision for the instrument. One which supports the choral and congregational singing that is so intrinsic to the life of the School, and which inspires the teaching and performance of new generations of organists on a reliable and versatile instrument. 2027 marks the 100th anniversary of the consecration of Memorial Chapel and our aspiration is for the new organ to be in place for this important milestone; we can only achieve this with the support of our entire community.
Preserve
Cor Carthusianum
Charterhouse Memorial Chapel was the inspiration of Frank Fletcher (Headmaster 1911-1935), who began fundraising for a new Chapel in August 1917 when OC losses from the Great War had already overtaken the number of boys in the School.
It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and funded by private donations from parents, OCs and staff. The foundation stone was laid on 17 June 1922 by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the completed Chapel was consecrated on 18 June 1927. Built by Harrison and Harrison, the organ was installed that very same year and swiftly became instrumental to daily life at Charterhouse, remaining so to this day. Originally designed in line with the brief of the time – to accompany a healthy, rousing chorus of 700 or so Carthusians and truly filling the acoustic of the Memorial Chapel, the organ undoubtedly had its advantages.
However, for many years there has been general acceptance that the instrument displayed existing and ongoing problems. Complications included:
• Wind leakage
• Frequent cipher problems
• Pipes no longer sounding, including some that were mute beyond repair
• Collapsed mechanics in the swell ranks
– Which upon inspection, were discovered to be unreachable without significant dismantling and restoration
• Anticipated repair work to be a great and ongoing cost to the School
The original organ is no longer serviceable and the task falls to our generation to revive one of the School’s most important assets. We need your support to ensure the new organ is installed by the 100th anniversary of Chapel in 2027, preserving the heart and soul of Charterhouse for the next century and beyond.
Chapel Choir 1927
Key Boards, Pedals and Pneumatic Tubing
Once in a generation we are afforded opportunities to celebrate history through meaningful change – this is that moment; a chance to reinvigorate musical excellence at Charterhouse and honour the timeless discipline of the organ. I know that memories of the organ’s strident tones will evoke nostalgia for many and I hope that our community will join me in this unique opportunity to contribute towards the heart and soul of musical and ceremonial life at Charterhouse.
Dr Alex Peterken Head
Stop Jamb Controls
Enriching Choral Education
It is my huge pleasure as Director of Music to be part of this incredibly exciting project. Music is central to life at Charterhouse, and none more so than in Chapel. The organ is of particular significance as it is the only musical instrument that is genuinely experienced by every single member of the School community, and for pupils and beaks, that’s nearly every single day during term time.
Charterhouse has long been known for its mighty Harrison & Harrison instrument, taking pride of place either side of our magnificent Chapel. The new Nicholson instrument will build on that heritage – literally reusing parts of the old – as well as developing a fresh and exciting organ worthy of daily use in Chapel. Built in the French style, but with more than enough versatility to accompany the choir in English as well as other continental styles, this will be an exciting addition to the organ world as well as Charterhouse. An exciting recital instrument, a world-class teaching instrument, a subtle accompaniment to the choirs, and perhaps most importantly an inspiring lead for the famous Carthusian Chapel singing. The new organ will have a far reaching musical impact, and will leave a glorious musical legacy for generations to come.
David McKee Director of Music
Inspiring Future Generations
The School hosts weekly services for the local community as well as numerous musical events in Chapel that rely on the organ and are open to the public including Christmas concerts, local schools’ choral services, Godalming Music Festival and practice opportunities for individuals. We believe that the newly restored and repaired organ at Charterhouse will allow for further collaborative opportunities with national associations and institutions such as the Royal College of Organists, as well as inviting celebrated organists to host masterclasses and concerts.
To preserve the traditions of Chapel at Charterhouse it is vitally important to have a reliable, quality and inspirational organ at its heart. Nicholson’s have come up with a truly versatile and innovative proposal and we are excited to invite you to join Cor Carthusianum by supporting this unique opportunity to shape the future of music at Charterhouse.
I first heard the organ in Charterhouse Chapel at the carol service in 1966. It brought the darkened building to life and effortlessly marshalled the thunderous singing of the School.
Of all the musical instruments, the organ is perhaps the most solitary – and yet, when it accompanies a choir or congregation it serves and thrills all who hear it, and all who sing with it.
The largest and grandest piece of furniture in the School, it is also the most widely used. Every Carthusian has been, and will always be, affected by the Chapel organ. It will furnish the soundtrack to so many memories of the place.
During my time as a pupil (1973-77) I spent every spare moment playing it. This was not work: just pure pleasure.
I distinctly recall, amongst his many fine and inspiring performances, Robin Wells’ masterful account of Bach’s great Prelude and Fugue in B minor, which happened to be my Housemaster’s favourite organ work.
The building of a new Chapel organ is a gift to the whole of Charterhouse. It will live long and play a central part in the cultural life of the School. A new organ matching such an imposing building will attract music-lovers from far and wide. They will come to hear and to marvel: for this new organ will do what great musical instruments always do for their listeners, revealing to them beauties and truths that cannot be expressed in any other way.
Mark Blatchly (G77)
Ex Brooke Hall 1996-2018
How can you help?
If you would like to support the Organ Appeal by making a donation online, please scan here
Support a Stop
You can give your donation directly in support of one of the organ’s stops.
Pledge a Pipe
You can choose to support one of the 2,717 pipes that will collectively create the organ’s unique tonal sound.
Join the 1611 Society
Become a 1611 Society member and choose for your donation to support the Organ Appeal.
Stop & Pipe List
Make your gift or pledge today
We are incredibly grateful for gifts of all amounts and warmly thank the generosity of our community for helping us to bring this momentous occasion in the history of both Chapel and the School to fruition.
Upon the unveiling of the new organ, we would be pleased to recognise everyone who has played a part in supporting this integral project.
If you are interested in discussing your donation, or wish to speak to the Foundation Office, please contact foundation@charterhouse.org.uk or call +44 (0)1483 291759.
To make your gift or pledge, please complete the form overleaf and return this to the Foundation Office using the return envelope provided.
Alternatively, donations can be made online via charterhousefoundation.org.uk or by scanning the QR code below:
It’s 8.28am on a gloomy February morning. The noisy chatter of Chapel full of Carthusians quickly subsides as the monitors walk in, and suddenly the sound of the organ – played by a nervous First Year Specialist – is in the spotlight. Moments later, it’s time for the young organist to pull out some more stops and accompany his peers as they sing a hymn.
The First Year Specialist was me, and the opportunities I was given of playing the organ in Chapel were among the most important of my time at Charterhouse. The pressure of playing for my fellow Carthusians, combined with the pride of doing so, has prepared me for a career in cathedral music.
I suspect the sound of the Chapel organ is something that any OC, no matter how musical, would tell you about. If our Chapel services are the voice of the School, then the organ is its heartbeat.
It’s hugely exciting that the time has come to build a new organ to adorn Memorial Chapel. The instrument will inspire generations of Carthusians, and will become an asset of great influence and significance.
Timothy Parsons (B10) Director of Music at Wells Cathedral
I grew up in Hong Kong, where organs are very uncommon, so it was at Charterhouse that I first heard an organ. I have fond memories of Mark Blatchly’s improvisations whilst the School was gathering for morning Chapel and it wasn’t long until I started learning the organ under Mark. Even then, it was clear that the organ was not in its best shape; it was out of tune, the blower was incredibly noisy, and it had a spectacular failure during a heatwave. I was lucky that the School had a practice organ in Henroost, and on that I practised my way to an organ scholarship at Merton College Oxford.
Across the country, fewer and fewer young people are learning the organ and Charterhouse, like other institutions, has a duty to promote the organ.
The Chapel organ had a record-and-play function, which I remember being so useful for practice. I would often listen back to my own playing, whilst lying on the cold floor of the Chapel, pitch black and hollow. The tall ceiling and the deep sounds all contributed to a sense of wonder that was unforgettable.
Owen Chan (S20)
Cor Carthusianum Share Your Memories
As we approach the 100th anniversary of Memorial Chapel and the unveiling of the new organ in 2027, we hope to share many of your memories and experiences of the organ with our community.
If you would like to share a memory, please scan the QR code to complete a Cor Carthusianum Share Your Memories Form.
Alternatively, memories can be shared via email foundation@charterhouse.org.uk or by writing to us The Foundation Office, Charterhouse School, Hurtmore Road, Godalming, GU7 2DX.
Mark Shepherd Director of Music BH 2003-2023
Photographed playing the organ in 2023
Choral music at Charterhouse has been a major focus and we are seeing a return to numerous choirs, choral opportunities and concerts on a grander stage. The organ at Charterhouse is fundamental to this development, inspirational and educational to its pupils and a guiding force in the daily services. We are thus delighted that Nicholson’s have agreed to take on the work, creating a 53-stop instrument and built into the divided casework of the present organ, as designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Given the forward thinking of the department – with an extension to the current buildings doubling the size also planned in the next few years – the new organ will solidify our vision for an instrument that supports choral and congregational singing, that can inspire teaching and performance on a reliable instrument with the versatility to tackle a wide range of repertoire.
Jamal Sutton Assistant Director of Music & Organist
