We have found out more information about the ‘Nelson’ organ and its builder.
The organ which is to be the “basis” of our instrument was originally built in 1915 by H J Nelson & Co. Henry John Nelson was born in Yorkshire in 1856 and in the 1871 Census was was described as a joiner in Scarborough. By 1880 Nelson was working for Thomas Harrison, whose firm became Harrison & Harrison (now the UK’s biggest organ builders and builders of big instruments such as Coventry Cathedral and the newly refurbished organ in the Royal Festival Hall).
In the early 1880’s Nelson set up his own business, near to the Harrison workshop in Durham. His firm thrived, specialising in good quality smaller instruments that were built all over the North of England and down into the Midlands. His son, Arthur, took over the business (and built the organ at our neighbouring Hearsall Baptist Church in 1961). In 1967, on Arthur’s retirement, the business was taken over by J W Walker & Sons, who are still building large organs – one of their more recent being the organ at St Chads Cathedral in Birmingham.
All Souls Organ 
I was fascinated to read the above mention of my grandfather Arthur Nelson, who I remember very well. I used to visit the “factory ” in Holly Street Durham as a child ( i was born in 1956 and Grandpa retired in 1967). One summer ( 1964) I think I spent 6 weeks in Durham staying with my grandparents at Nevilles Cross and spent many happy hours in the organ factory which was in reality a row of Victorian terrace houses which had been adapted as their factory. My grandparents and mother, Joy Nelson, lived over the factory during World War 2 but moved out to a bungalow at Nevilles Cross after the war. I am glad to know that work by my great grandfather is still considered worthy of restoration in the 21st century. Wonderful
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