Final play for York Minster's organ before major refit

The grand organ has 5,263 pipes

The final concert by York Minster's grand organ will take place later before it undergoes a two year-long refurbishment.

Most of the Victorian instrument and its its 5,263 pipes will be removed as part of the £2m refit.

It will be transported to a specialist in Durham to be cleaned and have its mechanism renewed.

The minster will use a grand piano and electronic keyboards to provide music for services until the organ returns.

As well as the cleaning of the pipes, a statement from the minster said that refurbishment would restore the organ's original "grander, imposing qualities" which were altered during work in the 1960s.

The grand organ dates back to the 1830s

Ahead of Saturday evening's farewell concert, Robert Sharpe, director of music, said the grand organ had its last major refit in 1903.

"The organ plays a key part in the Minster's services, providing the heartbeat at the centre of daily worship within the church," he said.

"This once-in-a-century refurbishment will ensure the instrument's reliability for the next 100 years."