Wind of change

Workers remove the pipes of York Minster’s grand organ for its first refurbishment since 1903. The organ specialists Harrison & Harrison are taking apart the instrument – including almost all its 5,403 pipes – to transport it to their workshop in Durham. The work will cost £2 million and take around two years.

The grand organ dates from the early 1830s and is one of the largest cathedral organs in the country, weighing approximately 20 tons. Its pipes range in length from the size of a pencil to 10m long. It was revealed yesterday that £1m of the refurbishment cost has already been met by a private individual who wishes to remain anonymous.