89 Key Gavioli No.4 (Live Recording) Strauss & Co. Selection

A live recording of the 89 key Gavioli fairground organ formerly travelled on English fairgrounds by Sheppards, Rowlands & Collins. This is a live recording of the organ in concert made on site so please excuse wind and background noise.

The organ is a 89 key No. 4 scale Gavioli organ, model 702. This is a very rare surviving example as Gavioli organs built playing the No. 4 scale that have worked on the English fairground were often converted to the Marenghi VB scale. This organ never had its scale converted during its working days on the fairground and remains on its original Gavioli scale today as built in Paris circa 1906.

The organ was originally supplied to G Gentili of Rome, Italy for use in the Cinematograph Giganto show. Following its life in Italy it was sold in to England in 1926 to Tom Sheppard for use in his Tidman gallopers, passing next in 1934 to Thomas Rowland of St.Austell, then in 1941 to Patrick Ross Collins for his amusement park at Colwyn Bay.

Following Mr Collins death in 1966 the park and the gallopers were taken over by Arthur Barnard. By 1972 the organ was in a poor condition and a fire in the centre of the ride that year damaged the organ still further. However the organ was saved for preservation in the 1980s passing through several dealers before being purchased by the current owner in 1996 who commissioned our company to undertake a full and comprehensive restoration.

The restoration was completed in 1997 and the organ was fitted with seven new wooden figures, hand carved by the late Terry White. The organ is fitted in to a Volvo custom built display vehicle, complete with built in generator and has been used for private and public display ever since.

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