£270,000 appeal to save organ

An historic church organ which dates back nearly 150 years is in desperate need of a £270,000 restoration.

Leaders of St Peter’s Church in Wolverhampton city centre have now launched an appeal for cash in order to preserve the impressive instrument for posterity.

It has been more than 40 years since any work was done on the organ and parishioners want to see it brought back up to standard. It is Father Willis type, made for Wolverhampton’s oldest church in 1860.

Despite a series of restorations and upgrades, it is showing signs of its 150 years of continuous use and needs some tender loving care if it is to continue to lead the choral tradition of St Peter’s.

It will take £270,000 to have specialists from York come to repair it.

The church’s director of music Peter Morris said today: “The organ is at the heart of our music, for acts of worship, public performances and special civic occasions.

“It is more than 40 years since the organ was last worked on and the dust from many years of use has settled in its pipes and mechanism, while the thousands of moving parts inside the instrument are now seriously decayed.

“A restoration of the organ is now essential if we are to uphold the high musical standards of this church and if we are to do our part - as our forebears have done - in preserving this historic instrument for future generations.”

St Peter’s Church choirs currently include 70 local children between the ages of six and 17 and leaders want the organ to continue to play a central role in their singing.

Rector of Wolverhampton the Rev David Frith said the congregation had already pledged more than £100,000 to a campaign to refurbish the entrance to the church, install a new altar and choir stalls and begin work on a visitor centre for the city.

Any donations will be welcome but Rev Frith said it would cost £100 to preserve a pipe or £1,000 for an organ stop.

To request a donation form call 01902 422642.

By Daniel Wainwright