Proud to work on the renewal of the Leeds Town Hall organ

Shires is delighted and proud to have been invited to work on the renewal and reconstruction of the organ in Leeds Town Hall.

Built for the opening of the Victoria Hall in 1858, the huge four-manual instrument with nearly 100 stops was later rebuilt and went through two overhauls before it fell silent in 1968.

The existing three-manual organ will be removed later this year, returning as an enlarged four-manual when the hall reopens in 2023. Among those guiding the project is the Leeds City organist, Dariius Battiwalla.

The contract to renovate the organ has been awarded to our friends at Nicholson and Co, who have asked us to help in the making of the pipes. The best of the existing pipework will be retained, but many stops will be new and we will work alongside Nicholson to make 500 pipes using traditional methods.

Terry Shires says: 'It represents something important for us to have our name associated with Leeds Town Hall. And I'm very proud that my lad, Chris Shires, will have his name on pipes he makes for this instrument. Well done to all our team.'

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