SOME visitors to Calne will barely touch the surface of its history, thinking only of its rise and fall at the time of the Harris bacon and sausage factory.

But delve a little deeper and the real heart of the community becomes apparent.

St Mary's Church, in Church Street, has been at the centre of Calne for 900 years.

The Grade 1 listed building, the oldest in the town, houses the only organ of its kind in the south of England.

On July 1, 1907, sausage magnate Henry George Harris contracted Huddersfield organ builder Peter Conacher to design and build a five-manual organ.

The case was carved by Alec Miller, who was later to have some of his work destroyed in the Second World War bombing raids on Coventry Cathedral.

The organ cost the grand sum of £2,048, without the casing. This was made of grey oak, the design was hand carved and was a much larger version of one the Harris family had at Castle House.

The organ was presented to St Mary's Church by the Harris family and installed at the height of their success in 1908. Like the church, the Harris factory was an integral part of the community but, unlike St Mary's, it did not last and was closed in 1983 and demolished two years later.

Church warden Lucette Rees said: "We are very privileged in Calne to have such an ancient piece of history as St Mary's Church.

"As the only Grade 1 listed building in Calne, it is an important feature and full of beautiful carvings we are very privileged to have here."

As with most well-played instruments, the Harris organ needs some repairs and it is hoped these will be completed by 2008.

The Harris Organ Appeal was set up to raise £250,000 to cover the repair work as well as maintain it in its refurbished state.

The organ remains a legacy of the wealth created by clothiers bringing the woollen trade to Calne in the 14th and 15th centuries.

But the Harris' weren't the only family to give something back to the church.

Throughout its 900-year history, families have altered and extended the church, from 12th century repairs to the stonework to the 20th century organ and choir stalls.

Mrs Rees, who lives at the foot of the church's Proclamation Steps, said: "There are some wonderful family stories linked to the church and many interesting characters buried there."

Beneath the floor of St Mary's lies the body of Dr Jan Ingen Housz, the Dutch physician and scientist who discovered photosynthesis in 1779. He lived in Calne in the 1700s while researching into smallpox inoculation and died at Bowood.

The churchyard's most interesting plot belongs to Inverto Boswell, otherwise known as the King of the Gypsies, who died of smallpox in Calne in 1774.

For years after his death his loyal subjects would travel to his grave on the anniversary of his death to pay their respects.

The church now has a warden scheme which allows it to open to visitors on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

9:14am Thursday 1st February 2007

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