Last chance to see Leeds Town Hall pipe organ before £1.8m refit

The 163-year-old organ is believed to be one of the biggest in Europe

Music lovers are being given a chance to view the inside of a historic pipe organ before it undergoes a £1.8m refurbishment.

The 50ft-high (15m) instrument at Leeds Town Hall is thought to be one of the largest in Europe and was played at the venue's opening ceremony in 1858.

City Organist Darius Battiwalla will give tours of the instrument on Saturday before it is dismantled.

Mr Battiwalla said he had "mixed emotions" about the refit.

"Whilst we're obviously sad that once work gets underway, we won't be hearing the unmistakable sounds of this beautiful instrument for some time, we know that it'll be in the very safest of expert hands while it's fully restored and refurbished," he said.

Mr Battiwalla will be joined at the event by technicians from the organ restorers who will start their work in October removing the 5,700 pipes from the 70-tonne instrument.

The organ's pipes will be "re-voiced" as part of the refurbishment

Situated in the Victoria Hall, the 163-year-old instrument was last serviced about 50 years ago, the council said.

As part of the repair work, a team of specialists will replace the instrument's soundboards, wind supply and console and "re-voice" the organ in order to give it a "fuller and more integrated sound".

The organ refurbishment is part of a wider restoration of the Grade 1 listed town hall

The scheme is part of wider long-term efforts to refurbish and restore the interior of the Grade I listed Leeds Town Hall, which was opened in a ceremony by Queen Victoria in 1858.

Leeds City Council will pay for the organ's refurbishment, but it is hoped the money can be recouped via a fundraising campaign.