In 1958, the "Jennings Organ Company" brought out four new models: the "Model E", encountered for the first time (first specific mention at least) in August; the magnificent three-manual "Model G"; the diminutive single-manual "Model H", and towards the end of the year, the "Model K".

The "Model G" in a later Jennings catalogue (of 1964), still in production in the beat boom years.

Sales were good; and in March 1958 the company published a list of "Recent Installations and Contracts":

Basildon New Town - Fryerns Baptist Church.

West Croydon - St Edmund's Church.

Clapham, London - Grafton Square Congregational Church.

Leyton - Elm Church.

Portsmouth - Chapel of the H.M.S. Victory.

Reading - The Crematorium.

Dartford - East Hill Methodist Church.

Langley Green, Crawley - St Leonard's Church.

Feltham, Middlesex - Congregational Church.

Walthamstow - St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church.

Coventry - Quinton Park Baptist Church.

Birmingham, Kingsheath - St Dunstan's Roman Catholic Church.

Beckenham - St Michael's Church.

New Haw, Surrey - Baptist Church.

Storrington, Sussex - St Mary's Priory.

Manchester, Swinton - Hortley Road Congregational Church.

High Barnet - Baptist Church.

Reading - Anderson Baptist Church.

Wilnecote, Staffs - Holy Trinity Church.

Lower Hutt, New Zealand - City Auditorium.

Perhaps the most striking place in this list, The Chapel of H.M.S. Victory aside, is the Civic Auditorium, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. The Auditorium was a new build in 1957, part of a splendid modernist complex devised by two local architectural firms - King, Cook & Dawson and the Structon Group.

Civic complex, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Picture from this page.

The new complex also had the distinction of being fitted with a Jennings "Model G" three-manual organ, probably the first example of a revised version (the question of "versions" to be taken up later). Note the line in the advert below: "Available Shortly in the UK":

Detail from "The Organ", April 1958.

Other overseas installations were noted in an advert published in "Musical Opinion" in mid 1959. More on those to come. It is worth noting that these institutions are in the main ecclesiastical ones. The company's "secular" organs - the Model B, D1, D2 and D-350 - sold well too. See the advert placed in the "New Musical Express", 30th October, below. A digest of the various models can be found on this page.

At Dartford Road work naturally continued on the expansion of the range, the result of which was the "Model H", which came out early in the year (February), and the "Model K", in October. Specifications were listed in adverts and brochures. Although the two-manual "Model E" is mentioned for the first time in August, there is a strong chance that it had actually ben released earlier. Of the two-manual organs in the range, only the "Model A" was normally promoted individually.

Music Trade press, February 1958.

Pages on 1954-1957 can be found here. Other years will follow soon. A sequence of pages on guitar amplifiers, beginning with 1957, starts here.

Images for the time being have to be watermarked. If anyone needs an unmarked one, do let me know.

1958

"Musical Opinion" magazine, January 1958.

"Accordion Times" magazine, January 1958 - the Jennings D1.

Music Trade press, February 1958.

A detall from the page above. The speaker is specified as a 12" Goodmans Audiom, the output of the organ, 10 watts. A "booster unit", with two more Goodmans housed in acoustic horns, adds a further 50 watts of power.

Music Trade press, February 1958 - note on the new Model H.

"Musical Opinion" magazine, March 1958, with list of "Recent Installations and Contracts".

"The Organ", April 1958. Notice of the installation of the first "Model G" in the Civic Auditorium, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.

"The Chronicle", 19th April, 1958. Rushworths was a Jennings distributor.

"Musical Times", May 1958. A short list of installations in educational establishments.

"The Morecambe Guardian", 6th June, 1958. A new "Jennings Organ" at the Floral Hall, Morecambe.

"Musical Opinion" magazine, July 1958. The new "Model H".

Music Trade press, August 1958, part of a review of the Jennings display at the AMII Music Trade Fair, Cafe Royal - the Model D organ.

"Musical Opinion" magazine, August 1958. The range: Models A, C, DS, E, G and H.

"Musical Times", August 1958.

Music Trade press, September 1958. The Jennings stand at the AMII Trade Fair, Cafe Royal, London. In picture, a "Model G", an AC1/15, and a life-size photo of Bert Weedon with an AC1/15.

"The Organ", October 1958. The "Model K" now appears in the range.

"New Musical Express", 30th October 1958. "Models have recently been supplied to BBC / ITV, The New Eric Delaney Band, Queen's Ice Rink [Bayswater], and featured by Jackie Brown, William Davies, Don Mackay, Jerry Allen, etc".

"The Birmingham Post and Gazette", 10th November, 1958. Cranes of Old Square Corner.

"Musical Opinion" magazine, December 1958. An almost identical ad was run in November, but signalling the that date of the demonstration was to be confirmed. The installation in St James, Kidbrooke, was photographed by Derek Underdown.

Thanks to Toni Standing, Derek Underdown's photo of the Model G organ in St James, Kidbrooke.

Music Trade press, December 1958.

Back to Jennings Organs, 1957.

Documents relating to Jennings (Vox) guitar amplifiers, 1958.