Bristol Beacon completes £1m organ restoration

BBC News

2 days ago

A major concert hall's pipe organ has been fully restored after a seven-year project.The Grade II-listed pipe organ inside Bristol Beacon is one of the last 'late Romantic' style concert hall organs in the entire country.As part of the building's grand reopening in November 2023, the pipe organ was reinstated, but the final adjustments could only be made earlier this year.Hilary Coleman, from Bristol Beacon, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have the Britton Organ back in its rightful place in Beacon Hall."
The instrument had to be completely taken apart as part of the restoration.Part of the process involved cataloguing each of the organ's 5,372 pipes, which range in size from small tin whistles to 32 ft bass pipes.Seven lorries were needed to transport all the parts up to Durham, where it was both originally made and recently restored.The project was completed by organ builders Harrison and Harrison, the contractor which built and installed the current organ in 1956 after a discarded cigarette set the hall and the previous organ alight.Restorers from the firm said they had to scrape multiple layers of nicotine from each part.
Now back in place, the organ was renamed the "Britton Organ" after a £250,000 donation was made by Bristol foundation the Jack and Monica Britton Trust, which supports young organists and organ refurbishments as Jack was a passionate musician.Last month, donors towards the project had the chance to take a sneak preview of the restored instrument in a private event.Harrison and Harrison said that the venue's refurbishment gave them the "perfect opportunity to undertake a full restoration" of the pipe organ, aimed at helping improve the acoustics inside Beacon Hall.Ms Coleman, said "It's one of the last pieces in the jigsaw following our transformation."We can't wait to hear it being played in several concerts next year - its 70th anniversary year - during our 25/26 Orchestral Season."Bristol Beacon, formerly known as The Colston Hall, underwent a £132 million refurbishment, which saw the venue shut for five years.The final cost of the project was criticised by some as it had tripled from the original estimates, although the venue has pledged to pay back £8m of its profits to the city council.