The Organ

The original pipe organ, which was second-hand in 1888 when it was installed, was condemned some years ago and was removed and scrapped before building work started on the extension in 1996. Many of the original pipes were sold as souvenirs, and there was also a new crop of bird boxes in Denmead in the next spring, made from old organ pipes!

A replacement pipe organ – a redundant instrument built in 1888 by Thomas Hill – was identified in St Scholastica’s Abbey at Teignmouth in South Devon. This was acquired, and placed in storage pending installation at All Saints’. In August 1998 a fire at the storage repository destroyed the organ, and the search for a suitable replacement was resumed.

Early in 1999 the present organ, built by Joshua Porritt, was identified at All Saints Methodist Church in Leicester, which had closed some months earlier. This organ was thoroughly restored and installed in Denmead during the Summer of that year, with an inaugural concert performed by Dr William McVicker on the evening of Harvest Festival Sunday.

The full story of Denmead’s organs can be found in a booklet available in the Church. The full specifications are shown in the National Pipe Organ Register (NPOR) website. The relevant record numbers are N11357 and D06845.