Noel Mander
Encyclopedia
Noel Percy Mander MBE
, FSA (19 May 1912 - 18 September 2005) was a noted organ builder and founder of the firm Mander Organs
.
A native of Crouch, he grew up in South London
. After dropping out of school early, he went to work for a publisher before using family contacts to secure a job with organ builder Ivor of Hill, Norman & Beard in the 1930s. Mander started working independently in 1936, and found employment with the diocese of London. On the onset of World War II
, Mander, who saw several of his early works destroyed under German bombardments, first became an auxiliary fireman before joining the Royal Artillery in 1940. He was deployed in North Africa and Italy, and wounded in Salerno
.
In 1946, he returned to civilian life and resumed his partnership with the diocese of London, restoring several organs damaged during the war. He founded his own company, Mander Organs
, that same year, and married Enid Watson.
During the subsequent years, Mander's craftmanship gained him wide recognition - as The Guardian
s reporter Barry Millington would later write in Mander's obituary, "a reputation (for himself) as a restorer of quality and sensitivity".
His crowning achievement was the rebuilding of the organ on St. Paul's Cathedral, between 1972 and 1977, for which he was named Member of the British Empire in 1978. Mander retired in 1983 and left his company to his son John.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FSA (19 May 1912 - 18 September 2005) was a noted organ builder and founder of the firm Mander Organs
Mander Organs
Mander Organs is an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the world of organ building, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with their refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall's Father Willis organ....
.
A native of Crouch, he grew up in South London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After dropping out of school early, he went to work for a publisher before using family contacts to secure a job with organ builder Ivor of Hill, Norman & Beard in the 1930s. Mander started working independently in 1936, and found employment with the diocese of London. On the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mander, who saw several of his early works destroyed under German bombardments, first became an auxiliary fireman before joining the Royal Artillery in 1940. He was deployed in North Africa and Italy, and wounded in Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
.
In 1946, he returned to civilian life and resumed his partnership with the diocese of London, restoring several organs damaged during the war. He founded his own company, Mander Organs
Mander Organs
Mander Organs is an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the world of organ building, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with their refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall's Father Willis organ....
, that same year, and married Enid Watson.
During the subsequent years, Mander's craftmanship gained him wide recognition - as The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s reporter Barry Millington would later write in Mander's obituary, "a reputation (for himself) as a restorer of quality and sensitivity".
His crowning achievement was the rebuilding of the organ on St. Paul's Cathedral, between 1972 and 1977, for which he was named Member of the British Empire in 1978. Mander retired in 1983 and left his company to his son John.