Historic church organ to finally be repaired after 15-year campaign

Work to restore an historic church organ has finally got under way following a tireless 15-year campaign to raise £250,000.

Work has finally begun to repair the 19th century organ

Leaders at Wolverhampton’s iconic St Peter’s Church were faced with a seemingly impossible task when they set out to reach the total needed for a full-scale repair job.

The organ had been failing for years and no longer produced the sort of sound required.

But the money was eventually raised with funding coming in from various sources, including donations from people in the city and money left to the church in wills.

The organ has been a fixture of St Peter's since 1860

A large chunk of the cash came from grants from trusts, while the restoration also received royal approval – with £1,000 coming from Prince Charles’ charitable trust.

Former Wolves vice-president and England cricketer, Baroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who died last year, was also instrumental in drumming up support. She had connections with the church through Wolves.

Now the funds have been secured, the organ, which was built in 1860, is having its first makeover for almost 50 years.

And it’s music to the ears of Peter Morris, aged 70, who has been part of the campaign from the beginning in 2003.

Mr Morris, the church’s director of music, said: “It is in need of a great deal of repair. The last time it was repaired was in 1970.

“It started getting really bad in 2000. We have had to find ways around the bits that don’t work which is testament to the skills of the organist. We have had to take the whole organ down and have it all restored, new pipework, new woodwork, in order to bring the same sound it had in 1860.”

Organ builder Ashley Tooze examines one of the pipes

Mr Morris said it had been a mammoth effort to get all the money together.

He said: “A lot of it has come from donations. Rachael Heyhoe Flint was involved for quite some time. She helped us enormously to raise money. Some of it came from trusts and Prince Charles gave us £1,000. Eventually we raised £250,000.”

The church, in Lich Gate, will be without its prize organ until early next year, with an electric version to serve as a replacement in the meantime.

Mr Morris said: “They have now started taking bits out. It will be cleaned and restored and will be wonderful when it’s finished. It’s absolutely wonderful that we’ve raised this money and it should mean the organ will work for the next 50 years.

“We are so grateful to all the people who have contributed.

“We don’t get help from the Church of England for things like this, we have to raise it all ourselves.”