Established in 1980, Stephen E. Frankland specialises in the building and repair of pipe organs for small rural churches.
Often, in rural areas, the services of a qualified organist are hard to find, and a small, simply designed pipe organ can be a viable and cost-effective alternative to a pipeless instrument. This is particularly true where the life-expectancy of the instrument is concerned. Through the selective use of existing material, we have successfully constructed a number of organs within a very limited budget for churches in North Yorkshire.
Our instruments are generally constructed using traditional methods and materials. However, we will employ modern alternatives where these can be used with advantage. In particular, we advocate the use of individual slider seals and plastic sliders in the course of soundboard restoration.
Our philosophy is that simplicity of design is best, and we endevour to ensure that our instruments are built to facilitate ease of maintenence. We believe that a small pipe organ sited in an open position can be more effective than a larger instrument buried in an 'organ chamber'.