Organ from flooded 'lost village' up for auction

A church organ saved from a village which was deliberately flooded to make a reservoir is to go up for auction.

The instrument, which was "feared destroyed", was used in Mardale's church before the Cumbrian village's demolition in 1937, auctioneers said.

Auction manager and valuer Bill Nelson said it had been kept "hidden away" in the office of the Carlisle Diocese, before it was moved to Kendal where it stayed for many years.

Mr Nelson said it was a "beautiful piece of craftsmanship" that would "serve another great purpose" by raising funds for the Cumbria Deaf Association.

The Shap History Society discovered in 2008 that the reed organ was gifted to the Cumbria Deaf Association from the Carlisle Diocese in 1935.

Online bidding on the piece closes on Sunday, with proceeds from the piece going to the association.

Mr Nelson said: "It's a touch of history from a place that no longer exists.

"The organ is a piece of the past that is also a beautiful piece of craftsmanship."

Mardale village disappeared when the Haweswater valley was flooded in 1939 to create the structure to provide water for the north-west of England.

Crowds gathered for the last service to be held at Mardale church, where the organ was used.

Before it was flooded, villagers were moved out and their homes and other buildings dismantled.

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