St Magnus Cathedral's 100-year-old organ to get £500,000 restoration

Les Donaldson, of the Friends of St. Magnus Cathedral, and cathedral curator Fran Hollinrake say the organ will be world class after its restoration

The organ in St Magnus Cathedral has provided the musical accompaniment to lives in Orkney for the last century.

Now plans are under way to have the 100-year-old instrument restored at a cost of £500,000.

Built in 1925 by Henry Willis and Sons - the same firm that built the organ in the Royal Albert Hall - it was installed in Scotland's oldest cathedral the following year.

Cathedral curator Fran Hollinrake said: "Everybody in Orkney has heard it [the organ] at some point. It's been the background to many of the significant events that have happened here, and important events in people's lives as well."

Orkney Islands Council is currently inviting tenders to restore the organ in the Kirkwall landmark, placing an estimated value of £500,000 on the work.

Pipe organs are recommended for a major refurbishment every 40 to 50 years, and the last time this one was renewed was in 1971.

The organ has been in St Magnus Cathedral since 1925

The Society of The Friends of St Magnus Cathedral has confirmed it will contribute financially to the restoration.

Les Donaldson, the secretary of the charity, said they expect grant funding to cover most of the costs.

But they will also be looking at crowdfunding and sponsorship opportunities.

"The Friends will come in and underpin all that to ensure that this project goes ahead and that we do get a world-class organ at the end of it," he added.

The organ sits at floor level near the back of the building, with the pipes obscured by a decorative screen designed by George Mackie Watson

The keyboard of sits to the right hand side of the organ pipes

After a preferred bidder is established, the refurbishment process is expected to take around nine months.

This could involve the organ being dismantled and temporarily removed from Orkney.

Mr Donaldson believes the instrument "forms part of the heritage of the St Magnus Cathedral".

Once it's restored, he said its standing in the pipe organ world would be "world class."

"We're hoping we'll get world class musicians to come to Orkney to further enhance the standing of the cathedral and of the organ and of that type of music," he added.