Another milestone reached this week: the Cathedral Organ Restoration Fund has now reached £80,000. The fund was launched in 2005 with the aim of raising £100,000 for a full overhaul of the organ, including new bellows, a new console, restoration and cleaning of the pipework.
The bellows (effectively the 'lungs' of the organ, they provide air to the pipes) had been in place since the organ was built in 1889, so they were certainly ready to be replaced! The old leather was in very poor condition, allowing a lot of air to escape and therefore reducing their effectiveness. The new bellows have now been completed and were delivered to the Cathedral on Thursday. At the moment they are in storage (above) while the work on the pipes takes place. The restoration work is being undertaken by Henry Willis & Sons of Liverpool. More information and pictures from the workshop can be seen on their website,
here.
Another milestone reached this week: the Cathedral Organ Restoration Fund has now reached £80,000. The fund was launched in 2005 with the aim of raising £100,000 for a full overhaul of the organ, including new bellows, a new console, restoration and cleaning of the pipework.
The bellows (effectively the 'lungs' of the organ, they provide air to the pipes) had been in place since the organ was built in 1889, so they were certainly ready to be replaced! The old leather was in very poor condition, allowing a lot of air to escape and therefore reducing their effectiveness. The new bellows have now been completed and were delivered to the Cathedral on Thursday. At the moment they are in storage (above) while the work on the pipes takes place. The restoration work is being undertaken by Henry Willis & Sons of Liverpool. More information and pictures from the workshop can be seen on their website, here.
