Samuel Renn (10 June 1786 – 11 January 1845) was an English organ builder who ran a business in

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

, and later he traded in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. The surviving instruments are mainly in churches, although a house organ is also known. Renn was born in

Kedleston Kedleston is a village and civil parish in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, approximately north-west of Derby. Nearby places include Quarndon, Weston Underwood, Mugginton and Kirk Langley. The population at the 2011 Census was less ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, where his father was employed at

Kedleston Hall Kedleston Hall is a neo-classical manor house, and seat of the :Curzon family, Curzon family, located in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Derby. The medieval village of Kedleston was moved in 1759 by Nathanie ...

. In 1799 he was apprenticed to his uncle, James Davis, an organ builder in London. Renn became his foreman and supervised organ installations and maintenance in London and in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

. When Davis retired Renn went into partnership with John Boston and traded as Renn & Boston in Stockport from 1822 to 1825 and then in Manchester. He died in Manchester in 1845. Renn developed a

factory system The factory system is a method of manufacturing using machinery and division of labor. Because of the high capital cost of machinery and factory buildings, factories are typically privately owned by wealthy individuals or corporations who empl ...

for building organs, using standardised dimensions, thereby reducing the costs, while continuing to produce artistic designs. Between 1822 and 1845 over 100 organs were produced by Renn. The business continued under other names and became Jardine and Co.

Legacy

The musical properties of Renn organs have been praised by critics and material from the organs has frequently been re-used in their restorations. However, many of the organs have been lost due to closure of churches. The best surviving Renn organ is in St Philip's Church, Salford.

Surviving Renn organs and cases

St John the Baptist's Church, Bollington St John the Baptist's Church is a redundant Anglican parish church in Church Street, Bollington, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It was a Commissioners' ...

(some stops) * St Mary's Church, Disley (organ case and some stops) *

St Mary and All Saints Church, Great Budworth St Mary and All Saints Church is in the centre of the village of Great Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth. The church is r ...

* Macclesfield Heritage Centre (formerly a Sunday School) *St George's Church, New Mills (case) * St Thomas' Church, Pendleton * St Philip's Church, Salford * St Thomas' Church, Stockport

Legacy

Surviving Renn organs and cases

References

Further reading