MEMBERS of Friends of Winchester Cathedral have travelled to Durham to examine restoration work being carried out on the cathedral’s organ.
The work is being undertaken by Harrison and Harrison, Britain’s leading organ builders, which has been overseeing the care of Winchester’s organ since the 1930s.
The group of Friends, all of whom had contributed to the £1.1m restoration appeal, were given a tour of the Durham company’s workshops and shown what work needed to be done to return the organ to its former glory.
The organ was disassembled into more than 5,000 pieces, including pipes, consoles, pedals and inner workings and conveyed to Durham at the end of January. Work will continue until the autumn when the organ will be brought back to Winchester and reassembled, ready for the end-of-year services.
The organ was originally built by Henry Willis for the Great Exhibition of 1851. On the advice of the cathedral’s own organist, SS Wesley, the Dean and Chapter decided to buy the instrument. When they discovered it was too large for the space available, however, only a portion of the organ was brought to Winchester, with the remainder instead going to America.
The project leader at Harrison and Harrison, Owen Woods, was delighted to welcome the Friends.
He said: “It was a real pleasure to show the Friends of Winchester Cathedral around our workshop; it isn't often that a group is so friendly, engaged, and perceptive. It means a lot to us that the Winchester community is so appreciative of our work and committed to their beautiful building. We look forward to the reinstallation of the Winchester Cathedral organ later this year.”
SEE ALSO: City pub could be forced to close as it reduces hours to combat rising debts
The chairman of the Friends, Bruce Parker, said members have always been keen to support cathedral music and the trip to Durham was over-subscribed: “When we launched our own organ appeal for £100,000 last June, we had a fantastic response and reached our target within six weeks. It’s hardly surprising as the organ is often described as ‘the beating heart of the cathedral’ and we need to keep it beating.”
More details of the restoration project and how to support it can be found on winchester-cathedral.org.uk/support-us/organ-appeal/.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here