Challenger - Fairground Organ
Owing to the demise of the fairground organ from about 1950, and the subsequent installation of record players on the fair rides, only a very small number of large organs have survived in private collections.Now that these organs can no longer be seen in their original environment, a small number of the best English craftsmen have put their resources to the test by recreating organs to their former glory using parts collected over prolonged periods from various sources. Many such parts were found in dark corners of the Fairs' winter encampment sites. These replica organs are constructed according to original plans and drawings and so are as near as possible to being the genuine article.
The fair organ Challenger is one such replica organ. It was built in 1978 by Andrew Whitehead of Stratford upon Avon. This was the first large organ that he was commissioned to build to a customer's specifications. The pipes were made from wood that was 150 years old, and initially no percussion instruments were fitted. These were fitted by Andrew some ten years later.
Challenger had several owners before current owners David and Pauleen Parriss acquired it. Quite by chance, they heard that it was on the market following the untimely death of its owner. They reluctantly parted with their 1897 Storey and Clarke fair organ and a few other pieces from their collection in order to acquire this beauty in April 1997 along with 78 punched card books of music and a Christmas collection.
This organ is classed as a 31 keyless organ with 56 pipes, bass drum, snare drum and cymbal. Prior to autumn 2002, it was classed as a 30 keyless, but it was upgraded, again by Andrew Whitehead, by the addition of an eighteen note Glockenspiel which gives the music played more body.
The organ is housed in a trailer eight feet wide by twelve feet long. An electric motor run from a portable generator or direct mains outlet powers the bellows.
Prior to the Glockenspiel being fitted, much of the music available was recorded on two cassette tapes and two Compact Discs, so those who enjoy listening to organ music can now do so from the comfort of their armchairs!
The outfit is a regular sight at many events around the country. It attends most of the local steam rallies as well as some more distant ones, and also many fetes and other similar events. Over the years, it has raised a large amount of money for charitable causes and will no doubt continue to do so in the years to come.