The Archers church organ at risk of falling silent

4 hours ago

Susie RackWest Midlands

News image — Felicity Jones and Phillip Malloy, otherwise known as The Archers' Emma and Will Grundy, pictured at St Mary the Virgin church in 2004

BBC A bride and groom stand hand in hand inside a church, a large stained-glass window behind them. The bride has dark hair piled up and is wearing a strapless white dress, standing side on, looking to camera. The groom has his back to the camera and is turning around and smiling. He is wearing grey tails and trousers. Wooden pews and brass church ornaments can be seen around them. — Felicity Jones and Phillip Malloy, otherwise known as The Archers' Emma and Will Grundy, pictured at St Mary the Virgin church in 2004

The organ at a church which has featured in the BBC radio drama The Archers is at risk of imminent failure without urgent repairs, parishioners say.

Costs to restore the 19th Century organ at St Mary the Virgin in Hanbury, Worcestershire, so far surpass £100,000—with the amount expected to rise.

The instrument dates back to the 1870s and is "the soul" of the building", according to church council secretary Bridget Weaving.

"When it's being played you can hear it clattering," she said. "Our organist says it could stop working at any time."

The instrument was originally provided by the Vernon family, who built nearby Hanbury Hall, between Droitwich and Redditch.

"It's always been [at the church], for all celebrations, weddings, funerals, baptisms, the weekly services," Weaving explained. "It's played all the time."

Bridget Weaving A 19th Century organ with green casing and gold and black pipework inside a stone Hanbury church. — The 19th Century organ is at risk of falling silent because of worn-out components

Bridget Weaving Four people sit at a table in a church, with pews and an organ in the background. They have sheets of paper, notebooks and mugs on a table. Three are men, and one a woman. The man taking the picture is smiling and has short fair hair. The collar of his checked shirt can just be seen. The woman has grey bobbed hair with a fringe and is wearing a blue puffer coat with beige jumper. To her right is a man white white hair and glasses wearing a beige jacket and tie. To his right is a man with dark hair and black-framed glasses in a coat with orange collar, green v-neck jumper and blue checked shirt. — Bridget Weaving, pictured during a meeting at the church with organist Keith Hearnshaw, left, organ consultant Paul Hale and church treasurer Mark Bishop

At a recent service, the organ gave out part-way through, she said, but came back to life after a rest.

Over the years, various minor works and repairs have been carried out, but now it must be stripped down completely and worn-out components replaced.

A church committee also hopes to restore the paintwork on the instrument's casing, which is expected to cost a significant additional sum.

"The organ consultant who came said its one of the finest painted organ facades in the country," Weaving said.

"It's very special."

Bridget Weaving Green-painted casing around black and gold pipework on a 19th Century organ in a church. Just the top of the pipes can be seen, stretching up to a red and black painted ceiling. — The organ's painted casing is "very special", Weaving said

More than 400 church organs in the UK are scrapped or fall out of use every year, according to preservation charity Pipe Up, which called the decline a "cultural catastrophe".

The charity's Redditch-based chairman George Allan has estimated about 15,000 organs remain in Britain, with only half playable and half in regular use.

Bridget Weaving Worn internal workings inside an organ, comprised of wooden stakes wrapped in twine with metal hooks. Some of the hooks are loose and rough repairs have been carried out on the twine. — Worn internal workings on the Hanbury church organ must be replaced

St Mary the Virgin, which has a regular Sunday congregation of about 30, has previously been used as a substitute for St Stephen's Church in the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera, currently marking its 75th anniversary.

Photo shoots for characters' weddings have used the Hanbury church as a backdrop, with one character even captured sitting at the organ, Weaving said.

While the programme is recorded in Birmingham, its fictional setting of Ambridge is inspired by the village of Inkberrow, which lies just over seven miles (11.2km) from Hanbury.

Bridget Weaving A two-storey church with three story tower and a pitched slate roof with dormer windows. It is in a field, with tall grass. The picture is taken on a sunny day, with light clouds and blue sky. — St Mary the Virgin in Hanbury has been used by The Archers to represent the fictional St Stephen's church

Members of the church congregation are now hoping to secure grants to fund the organ's restoration by Daly Organs in Worcester and plan to launch a crowdfunding page.

If it fell silent for good, the church would be "a different place", Weaving said.

"It would have an emptiness", she added. "The organ is almost like the soul of the place, it brings it alive.

"It's imperative that its done as soon as possible."

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