The Musical Instruments

The organ at Saint Silas was originally built by John Byfield in the mid-eighteenth century. In 1854 it was rebuilt by Gray and Davison in St Thomas' Regent Street (also known as Archbishop Tenison's Chapel Kingly Street, Kingly Street being between Regent Street and Carnaby Street). Dorothy L Sayers was famously church warden there; and it was there that Dr John Birch, subsequently organist of All Saints' Margaret Street, the Temple Church and Chichester Cathedral, held his first organist's post. Whilst at St Thomas' the organ was rebuilt again by Kirkland in 1907 and by Noterman in 1923, and it was overhauled and revoiced in 1948 by Willis.

The changes made at each stage were modest. Comparing the stop lists given in the National Pipe Organ Register from surveys in 1911 (N17380), 1947 (N17381) and 1950 (N18605) with the instrument as it is today (N16842), it has lost its Pedal Open Diapason 16' and Violoncello 8', Great Gamba 8' and Swell Keraulophon 8', Stopped Diapason 8' and Fifteenth 2'; but it has gained from Noterman the Pedal Echo Bourdon / Swell Lieblich Bourdon 16', Swell Gedact 8', Salicional 8' and Mixture II (which may incorporate the earlier Fifteenth) in 1923, and from Willis in 1948 it has gained the Great Twelfth 2 2/3'.  

St Thomas' was made redundant in 1954 and the organ was purchased by Saint Silas' in 1966. N P Mander Limited removed it, overhauling, cleaning and rebuilding it  at the west end of the gallery in Saint Silas' with new electro-pneumatic action and a new detached console. The Great Large Open Diapason was transferred to the the Pedal as a Principal 8' to give the Pedal better definition, and a two-rank Mixture was prepared for on the Great to make up for its loss, but it has never been provided. It was also intended to extend the Pedal Principal down to 16' as an Open Metal, so the existing Open Diapason 16' rank was not brought to Saint Silas', but the extension has not been made - the Open Metal 16' ends at tenor C. The organ is in what is thought to be its Gray and Davison 1854 case, with extra panels by Thomas Cole of Barnsbury to cover where the orginal console was removed. The opening recital was given by Nicholas Jackson on 24 January 1967.

When the hall was built under the original gallery and the gallery was extended eastwards, the organ console was moved to the new south-east corner of the gallery, and in 1980 a faculty was granted to move the organ to the west of the gallery and the console to the south east of the church, but this was not done.

The organ is a small but well-specified example of one of the best nineteenth century organ builders in a relatively unchanged state, with an impressive case from that period. The airtight seals, though, are deteriorating, so several stops have notes missing, especially in the bass; and the electric action of the keyboards is so light (a 1960's reaction to the heavy tracker actions of the time) that it is difficult not to smudge adjacent notes when playing. Members of the congregation who remember the previous organ at Saint Silas' say it was too loud for the building, and the current organ is not quite loud enough, perhaps in over-compensation. Had the planned Great two rank Mixture and the bottom octave of the Pedal Open Metal been added, it might have been better able to accompany a large congregation.

Compass: Manuals CC-C Pedal CCC-F. Pitch a="451" (about half a semitone above orchestral pitch)

Swell Organ: Lieblich Bourdon 16', Open Diapason 8', Gedact 8', Salicional 8', Celeste 8', Principal 4', Mixture II, Oboe 8', Cornopean 8', Tremulant, Octave Coupler.

Great Organ: Open Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Dulciana 8', Principal 4', Flute 4', Twelfth 2 2/3', Fifteenth 2', Mixture II (prepared for), Clarinet 8', Trumpet 8', Swell to Great.

Pedal Organ: Open Metal 16' (bottom octave prepared for, the rest from Principal), Bourdon 16', Echo Bourdon 16' (from Swell), Principal 8', Flute 8' (from Bourdon), Flute 4' (from Bourdon), Swell to Pedal, Great to Pedal, Great and Pedal Combinations Coupled.

Three adjustable thumb pistons to each manual, reversible thumb piston to Great to Pedal.
Piano

The piano at Saint Silas is a baby grand Geissler. Its attractive sunburst music stand suggests it is probably from the 1920s or 1930s. It was given to Saint Silas by All Saints, Margaret Street and was restored in late 2005 in memory of Nancy Brock.

The Yamaha P250 Digital Piano, with its wide variety of voices, is used for communion improvisations, for harpsichord music and, in conjunction with the baby grand, to accompany communion songs. It was given in April 2006 by a kind and generous supporter of the music at Saint Silas.