Next stage of ambitious organ rebuild project gets under way

The several thousand pipes of Norwich Cathedral’s historic 105-stop pipe organ are now returning to the Cathedral as the latest stage gets under way in the ambitious 15-month project to rebuild the organ to preserve it for future generations.

The organ – a key part of musical life at the Cathedral - is one of the biggest of its kind in the country and the extensive rebuild project currently taking place is the instrument’s first complete overhaul since it was rebuilt in 1942, following a fire which partially destroyed the instrument in April 1938.

The organ’s 6,655 pipes range in size from the size of a pencil to an incredible 32ft (almost 10 metres) long. The bulk of them were removed by specialists Harrison and Harrison in early summer 2022 and transported to Durham for further work. Now that stage of the project is complete, Harrison and Harrison have begun the task of carefully reinstalling the pipes.

It is hoped all of the pipes will be back in place by the end of March, ready for an eight to 12-week ‘voicing period’ to follow after Easter. This will involve the fine tuning of each and every pipe and the aim is for this stage to be completed by July 2023.

The project – which is costing about £1.8m – is being funded by money raised from the £2.5m They Shall Laugh and Sing Music Appeal which has HRH The Earl of Wessex as patron.

While the organ is being rebuilt, two digital organs are taking the place of the Cathedral’s organ during services.

A special programme of performances is being planned to celebrate the return of the organ and more details about this will be announced in due course.

The history of Norwich Cathedral's Organ

There are references to an organ at Norwich Cathedral dating back to the 14th century.

The current organ, a 105-stop pipe organ built by the Norwich firm of Norman and Beard, was installed in 1899 although part of the organ dates back to the 17th century.

It was devastated by a fire that broke out during an Evensong in April 1938 but, despite the outbreak of the Second World War, a project to rebuild the organ was completed in the 1940s. This was the last time major work was undertaken on the instrument which is one of the largest organs in the country.

The organ - which has 6,655 pipes and 105 speaking stops - is used for over 500 services each year as well as special events and concerts.

Pictured above is the organ before the rebuild project began and close-ups of some of the pipes.

Pictures: Bill Smith