The mechanical doll museum

here is a rare film of a museum in Chichester, England that is very araely open these days due to costs, in fact, there is a chance it will close forever if something is not done to safegaurd its future. I hope you enjoy

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mechanical
• music
• draaiorgel
• fairorgans

[leach55]

Hi Eddy

I believe the museum will be sold off. The Carl Frei needs to be sold to someone in this country, as it is one of only a few that Carl Frei ever made from scratch. I have heard it play and it does not play at you, it sings at you. It is without doubt, the most beautifull Dutch street organ i have ever heard and i would gladly sell all i have to buy it, but that is unrealistic, so i would love to see the organ go to an English buyer who was not prepared to tamper with it.

[EddyNickson]

It looks a very interesting organ indeed! does the organ have an orginal front? i saw the pic of it on iMOD when it was classed as a 'Marenghi' do you have any more pics of the organ? e.g. the keyframe, the bellows etc etc.

[leach55]

Eddy

I dont have anything else to offer you, but if someone were interested, i could get some.

Graham

[EddyNickson]

Yeah that Carl Frie looks a really nice restoration job! would love to hear it! shame really =[ So what will happen to the museum if it closes? will the collection be sold off or just not shown to the public.

[leach55]

I used to work on the organ when Ray Tombes owned it, opened up all the registers and called it the "Golden Marenghi". All the original Carl Frei cut books were left over in the damp corner of the lorry and we were only allowed to play Arthur Prinsen music.

I understand that Lester has all but restored the books now.

Why dont you give your boss Mr Attkinson a nudge, it would be a great organ to have in his collection, i just wish it could go in mine.

All the best

Graham

[EddyNickson]

Hey i like the dean organ in the video.

[leach55]

it is one of Mike's early models, 1978 but did you not catch a glimps of the 72 key Carl Frei perched on the balcony

[Windsweptzariel]

Oh them Golden Slippers! Thanks for sharing!

[ceredigio]

@leach55 When was this video filmed?

[ceredigio]

@leach55 The street piano at 2.59 plays that same song that it plays here on my tape. Any info around about the make and so on?

[ceredigio]

@leach55 It sounds a bit like a Dean but doesn't have a Dean-like front at all! Is it a 30-keyless model? I have a tape of it playing the Can Can and Land of Hope and Glory.

[uglysack]

Thank you very much for filming and showing on youtube. I hope the museum does not close - I love these machines!