The organ at St Nicholas Church is an important voice in our community, be it at regular services, at concerts, at carol services or at weddings and funerals. The instrument is a fine one made in 1845 by the firm JW Walker, unique in retaining the original barrel (containing 10 hymn tunes, a kind of early Victorian hymn-karaoke machine!) and being in working order in its original home, rather than a museum. In 2012 it was given a grade 1 listing by the British Institute of Organ Studies.

It still looks and sounds great, but needs a considerable amount of care and repair: pipes are leaning over inside, the key action is very uneven, and the whole frame shakes alarmingly when the barrel is played! It is also very dirty and needs a thorough deep clean.

We have a proposal from a local firm to do all this work, as well as restoring the barrel mechanism to its original state. There will be a series of fundraising concerts and events (starting with a recital of music from eight centuries and eight countries on 22 September 2024) - please do consider supporting this project either by attending our events or donating via this page.