Restored 5,000-pipe organ finally sounds again at sell-out Anna Lapwood concert

13 January 2026, 08:00

The star organist has breathed new life into the revoiced instrument.

One of Britain’s most important concert hall organs has returned to Bristol Beacon following a seven-year restoration by master builders Harrison & Harrison.

The Grade II-listed Britton Organ, which stands 14 metres tall with more than 5,000 pipes, was unveiled in a sold-out opening recital by organist and conductor Anna Lapwood. The event took place 70 years after the instrument first took pride of place in the hall.

The restoration began in 2018 as part of Bristol Beacon’s In the Pipes heritage project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Jack and Monica Britton Trust.

The organ was renamed the Britton Organ after a £250,000 donation from the Bristol-based Jack and Monica Britton Trust.

Read more: Anna Lapwood plays bewitching ‘Interstellar’ on 9,999-pipe Royal Albert Hall organ

During the restoration, each of the organ’s components was carefully removed and cleaned and restored at Harrison & Harrison’s Durham workshop. The instrument has also been fully re-voiced to balance with the hall’s newly refined acoustics following its own recent transformation.

Simon Wales, Bristol Beacon’s Chief Executive, described the organ as “a restored jewel” of the venue’s main hall.

“Its history is woven deeply into the cultural life of Bristol,” he said. “This moment marks both a tribute to our past and an inspiring step toward our future.”

Robert Bernays, chairman of the Britton Trust, expressed hope that the restored organ would “help drive a great organ music resurgence across the Bristol region”. He said, “Jack and Monica would be pleased that part of their grant to the Beacon will be used to attract young people to learn to play the organ.”