Shropshire Star

Charity in £6,000 boost for Shrewsbury church's organ appeal

A project to repair a rare organ at a Shrewsbury church has been given a £6,000 boost.

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Rev Paul Lockett and the organ at All Saints Church, Shrewsbury

The donation has been made by the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust, which helps churches and chapels in the county meet their repair bills.

The trust has made the award to All Saints Church in Castlefields, for the refurbishment of its Nicholson organ.

Richard Bifield of the trust said: "John Nicholson & Co was established in Worcester in 1841. The organ at All Saints is believed to be the largest and most significant of Nicholson's organs in the country."

Johnathan Lloyd, from the restoration team

Since the charity was launched in 1991 it has given more than £1 million to help Shropshire churches and chapels.

The total cost of restoring the organ in All Saints is about £220,000.

Fundraisers needed to raise 10 per cent of that target before being able to apply for some other grants.

At the time of the application to the trust, the fundraisers had raised around £17,000, so the £6,000 award takes them over their 10 per cent target.

Although the organ dates from 1849 it came to All Saints around 1878 as a gift to the new church from the architect and his wife.

All the leather parts have perished and the whole organ has an accumulation of around 160 years or so of dust.

It needs to be stripped down and working parts repaired or renovated, and then all put back together again.

The trust yesterday hosted an open gardens event at Broadward Hall, Clungunford, Petton and Stokesay Court, which was the setting of many scenes in the film Atonement.