Cathedral's organ pipes travel 300 miles for repairs

Nearly 4,000 pipes from a historic grand organ have been sent on a 300-mile (482km) journey as repairs continue at a cathedral.

It is part of a £3m refurbishment project at Wells Cathedral in Somerset after mechanical faults were found which could have caused the imminent failure of the organ.

Pipes with wind reservoirs, electrical systems and the console have been removed and sent to a workshop in Durham to be repaired. They are set to return in summer 2027.

"Our cathedral organ has become less and less reliable in recent months, and leading up to Christmas the problems became worse," said director of music at the cathedral Timothy Parsons.

The organ at Wells Cathedral was most recently rebuilt in the 1970s, but its foundations were established in the 1850s.

"Unfortunately it was reaching the point where the instrument wouldn't have been playable at all," Parsons said.

While some of the organ's largest elements will be restored at the cathedral, thousands of its pipes were packed into 60 crates and transported north to the Durham workshop of organ builders Harrison & Harrison.

Parsons said a temporary organ had arrived at the cathedral and added that the start of the work "could not have come at a better moment".

Arnold Wills, chair of The Friends of Wells Cathedral, said: "The Friends has committed to two-thirds of the total cost and has been lead partners in getting this project initiated."

"I can't wait to play the organ when it's returned," he added.

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