The Musical Museum - Copyright 2006

The aim of this section  is to keep you up-to-date with the latest developments at the museum. As articles appearing here are superceded, they will be archived and available by selection.

Here is a brief summary of what we have been since our last update.

Moving the Collections

Since our last update, you may have read in the press about the disaster that struck when a Bosendorfer concert grand was being delivered to the West Country.  As you can imagine, the lads at the museum are rightly proud of their achievements - being both amateurs and pensioners!!  None of our instruments were lost or damaged during the move and surprisingly, many have played reasonably well on reassembly despite their decommissioning and lack of use over the past 2 years.  The team is available as consultants to the removal industry!!

Good news for the Bosendorfer debacle - Steinway have stepped in and loaned a piano for the concert season.  Pictures in the press suggest that they too may have exited the wrong way from the lorry - but that did ensure that their web address on the piano cover was clearly visible!

Meanwhile, we continue to ............

Re-assemble the instruments

A major effort is ongoing to rebuild and refurbish the Aeolian and Wurlitzer pipe organs.  The Aeolian is nearing completion of the first phase with only the chimes and harp needing to be connected.  The organ will then be voiced and tuned.  Further extensions to this organ are planned including a 2 manual console.

In Galleries 1 and 2 on the ground floor all the main instruments are in place and considerable effort has been expended to get them into working order as quickly as possible.  These Galleries and their exhibits form the core of our early visitor attractions together with the shop.

A program of cleaning and polishing the instruments is now underway, mainly by our volunteers, as we prepare the museum to receive visitors.  Ambient lighting is also being installed to show the instruments to best advantage.