Our beautiful church organ is 150 years old! And, it is starting to show its age. We would love to restore it back into prime condition. Would you like to help us?
Our Church Organ
If you have been to Sywell Church for a carol service... a wedding or funeral... remembrance or other service, you will have heard our church organ. It has been played at services since Victorian times. It was paid for by villagers with a top up donation by Lord Overstone. It cost the princely sum of £32-8-0, which was a large sum back then. It was built by the London firm of Hunter (only the best for Sywell!) and installed in 1875. It has been in constant use ever since. It is not surprising that some parts are struggling to sound, some keys are not working and the pipes are clogged with 150 years of dust!
Did you know... The front pipework (see left) was painted by the company who were involved in the 78 Derngate (Charles Rennie Mackintosh) project and are a fine example of their work.
What will happen during the restoration?
Our aim is to restore the project back to how it will have sounded 150 years ago. It will be completely dismantled and taken to the organ builders workshop where every pipe and piece will be cleaned, the mechanical parts fully restored to perfect working order, the case fully polished and new lighting and switches installed to replace the 1960s electricals. We are hoping to begin the restoration in mid-2026 and the work will take about three months to complete. Once done, it will ensure that the organ keeps playing for another 150 years!
How much will it cost?
The cost of this work on the organ is £25,100 plus VAT (which we can recover from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme). As well as approaching grant making bodies, we would like the village community to be part of this exciting programme.
How can you help?
You can sponsor one or more of the parts either as a donation or as a gift in memory of a loved one, to celebrate a special anniversary or to mark a family connection with our beautiful church. Here is a list of the parts.
| Organ Part | Sponsorship Amount |
| Organist Bench | £100 |
| Organ Plinth | £100 |
| Organ Keyboard | £100 |
| Organ Pedal Keyboard | £100 |
| Front Decorative Pipework | £50 per pipe, £600 complete set |
| New Lighting / Switchgear | £60 |
| 16 Foot Bourdon Stop | £50 |
| 8 Foot Diapason Stop | £50 |
| 8 Foot Dulciana Stop | £50 |
| 8 Foot Stopped Diapason Stop | £50 |
| 4 Foot Principle Stop | £50 |
| 2 Foot Principle Stop | £50 |
| The Electric Organ Blower | £100 |
| The Complete Oak Organ Case | £500 |
| Individual Organ Pipes (306 Pipes) | £10 per pipe |
When the organ has been restored, we will produce a village booklet with the full history of the organ and (if you wish), the details of your dedication to a loved one, anniversary or family event.
If you would like to make a donation, you can contact Tony Noble on 01604 644380. We will publish a Donation Form online after the project launch on Saturday 22 November 2025 - 10am Sywell Church. Do join us on as Tony Edwards talks about the organ and its history, explains what the different parts do and how they will be restored, and plays the organ for us.
Watch this space...
We'll provide regular updates on our progress with raising funds for the organ's restoration. Once the work is underway, we'll share news and photos. So, do keep on watching this space!
Thank You! for your support and prayers.
Sharon Hammond, Tony Edwards, Tony Noble and Revd Katrina
Sywell Organ Project Team