The Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust has carried out for the National Trust the restoration of the Willis Pipe Organ at the Stately Home, Tatton Hall, of Maurice Egerton, the Lord Edgerton of Knutsford who died in the early 1950's. Tatton Hall is now in the care of the National Trust and is managed by Cheshire County Council.

It was known that Lord Egerton had what was called a Hunting Lodge in Kenya, Africa. The Lodge is know locally as the Castle. During the last War Lord Egerton lived out in Africa and farmed 1000's of acres of wheat, which when shipped back to Britain was a major contribution to the war effort. Before Maurice Egerton died he sold the estate to the Kenyan Government.

For many years no one had visited the estate then only about 4 years ago a member of Tatton staff went to Africa and found Lord Egertons' African home. It is situated just south of Nakuru about 100 miles north west of Nairobi.

The map on the left shows the approximate location of Lord Egertons house and farm.

The photo right show the way to the Government National Farm - originally Lord Egertons farm. The photo below left shows that farm today.

At the time of this visit the house was used as a boarding school and was in excellent condition.All the rooms in the house were well kept. The floors were waxed and the mahogany doors polished. The Egerton Crest is built into the outside wall of the Castle - right and also into the door handles of all the internal doors - below right. In the main hall was a pipe organ the casework of which bore the Family Crest in a similar manner to the organ case at Tatton Hall. The organ was in perfect condition and inside the organ the pipework was in good order. Lord Egerton loved organ music but couldn't play a note, so he had the organ in Kenya and the Willis organ at Tatton both equipped with a Duo-art roll player system which allowed the organs to be played from paper punched rolls very much like a player piano. Although the pipe organ at Tatton Hall was made by Henry Willis, the organ in Kenya was manufactured by Jack Davies and Sons, a company in Northampton who maintained the Tatton organ and carried out many modifications at the request of Lord Egerton.

Following the visit the house was vacated by the boarding school and squatters moved in, these were many of the people who farmed the land both in Lord Egertons time and later. Then in 1995 the Kenyan Museum service took over the house and grounds, the idea being to convert the house into a museum of Colonial Kenya and make it into a tourist attraction.

At the beginning of 1995 a gentleman called Anthony Bethall, an organist from Hatfield, visited Kenya and by accident found himself talking to the organist of Nairobi Cathedral who in conversation mentioned a house out in the bush that the locals called 'The Castle'. It was also mentioned that the Kenyan Museum service had taken over The Castle.

Appropriate enquires led to loan of the keys and a visit being arranged, the understanding being that some publicising of the project be made when Anthony returned to England. From the photographs taken it becomes obvious that just in four years this link with Tatton Hall at Knutsford and the Egerton Family has deteriorated dramatically. The floors are no longer waxed the doors no longer polished. The rooms in the Hall all contain squatters, there is washing hung everywhere. The Organ is in a very sorry state with damage to the console. Many of the pipes in the chambers are bent some have been removed.

Even so, at the moment the Organ and House could be recovered if action is taken quickly.

The Kenyan Museum service just do not have the resources to recover this fantastic link with the past, a major colonial link with this country and the National Trust Property Tatton Hall at Knutsford. This is a cry for help for overseas aid to help to preserve this fine old building for future generations which could be included in the tourist attractions of Kenya, and who knows with the restoration of the Organ, use as a Commonwealth Arts Centre.

The Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust, as part of the Tatton scene feel that this organ should also be preserved. If the money was available discussion with any appropriate Government or European agency could take place in order to overseas aid to restore the Hall and to provide sufficient money to allow a survey of the house to be made with a view to helping the Kenyan Government with this worthwhile restoration project.
If anyone has ideas on how this can be achieved please email Don Hyde, Chairman, The Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust. .

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