Peter Wood and Son Organ Builders Limited of Harrogate have started preliminary investigations ahead of next year’s maintenance and restoration work on Bradford Cathedral’s organ, to improve the instrument and its reliability.
Bradford Cathedral’s organ is to undergo works in Summer 2023 to help safeguard the future of its historic instrument. In July 2023 the swell division – one of the most important groupings of pipes in the organ – will be removed and sent away to the organ builders to be cleaned and re-fettled. A number of replacement ranks of pipework will be included in the restored instrument, and a voicer will refine how individual pipes speak, so the full chorus works together as well as possible in choral music. Together, this work will restore the swell division to more closely resemble its original 1904 sound.
Peter Wood and Son Organ Builders Limited of Harrogate have been appointed to undertake this work, taking over from A.J. Carter Organ Builder Ltd who has looked after the organ for the past ten years with skill and care.
Alexander Berry, Bradford Cathedral Director of Music, says:
“The Cathedral organ is used almost every day of the year – for services, weekly recitals and much more – and I’m delighted that Peter Wood & Son will be responsible for its upkeep and care.
“After this period of maintenance, the organ will return to a sound that is much truer to its origins, and will be able to support choral singing and play core repertoire to much greater effect.”
Mark Wood and Ginny Nichols-Wood, Directors of Peter Wood and Son Organ Builders Limited, are a husband and wife team who have worked together for fifteen years.
Ginny Nichols-Wood says:
“We’re basically redesigning the swell organ at Bradford Cathedral. Our proposal involved returning the swell organ back towards its 1904 design, and this week we’ve been taking some measurements to get some replacement stops made.”
William McVicker, Bradford Cathedral’s Organ Consultant, says:
“I am pleased to see that the cathedral has appointed Peter Wood & Son, a local organ builder with excellent accreditation credentials from the Institute of British Organ Building (IBO).”
More updates on the work on the Bradford Cathedral organ will be available on the Cathedral website and social media as the work progresses.