Pipe Down: Why The UK’s Historic Church Organs Could Disappear By 2070
LONDON — Are the U.K.’s church pipe organs under threat?
A new report from Pipe Up, a charity created in 2022 to save pipe organs from what it calls a “wave of destruction,” claims that Britain’s church organs are heading toward extinction unless action is taken.
The report, “Silencing the King? The Future of Britain’s Pipe Organs,” found that nine pipe organs a week are being lost, either being removed or simply left in silence and decay. Based on this, Pipe Up believes that within ten years, the number of church pipe organs in Britain will be cut in half, resulting in no pipe organs being left playable by 2070 outside well-funded churches, cathedrals, Oxbridge colleges and a small number of concert halls.
READ: Pope Leo Clashes With German Church Over Same-Sex Blessings
The team based their research partly on figures from the National Churches Trust survey published in November 2025.
“We wanted to use those figures, along with our other research, to convey a much-needed sense of urgency in the organ world,” said Pipe Up Chair George Allen. “We feel the need to implement countermeasures as quickly as possible. This is a cultural catastrophe for Britain. The experience of hearing live pipe organ music will be lost from almost every town and village and become the preserve of privileged elites.”
Pipe organs have existed in churches for centuries, but the Puritans destroyed many of them during the seventeenth century. Consequently, many U.K. church organs date from the nineteenth century. These instruments are extremely large, often with one or more keyboards controlling numerous stops, a pedalboard (played by the feet), and varying numbers of large pipes, each producing a different sound. When played by an organist, pressing a key or pedal forces air through the appropriate pipe to produce sound. The resulting music led Mozart to call the pipe organ “the King of instruments.”
Awareness of the problems facing church organs is increasing.
Temperature and humidity levels are also significant issues. Most churches do not have full heating and may only heat the building during services. This means that organs are typically kept at ambient building temperatures, which in winter may be just above freezing. Low humidity can dry out the wooden parts of an organ, causing them to warp and preventing proper movement.
Maintenance costs can also be a challenge.
David Willrich, churchwarden of St. Michael’s and All Angels in Hinton Admiral, Hampshire, has recently been involved in the restoration of the church organ.
“Organs generally need to be fully dismantled every 25 to 50 years. Ours was long overdue; it had not had any major work since the 1970s, and we discovered that some of that work was not up to modern standards,” Willrich said. “We spent £30,000 on the organ, funded through a combination of a bequest, grants, generous donations, and fundraising. The organ was playable but had many issues, with about a third of the pipes not speaking.”
He added, “A major problem is the lack of regular maintenance that so many organs receive — such as being tuned at least once a year. With consistent care, minor repairs can often be handled during routine visits.”
Some funding is available through the conservation grants program administered by the Church of England’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Department. This program draws on funding from sources such as the Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust, the Anglican Parish Churches Fund, the Oswald Allen Fund, the Gunnis Fund and the Church of England Net Zero Fund.
Commenting on the situation, a Church of England spokesperson stated: “Grants are awarded every year by the Church of England’s conservation team to support the maintenance of historic organs. Organs cannot be removed from Church of England churches without permission under church law, and great care is taken to ensure that no organs of historical or musical significance are lost.”
Concerned about the overall future of church pipe organs, Pipe Up has called for action. It has published an online toolkit to help members of the public keep pipe organs in their areas in good condition.
Pipe Up said local or regional organ clubs conduct regular surveys of organ conditions in their areas. Church leaders and organists should receive training in organ care, and access to information and advice on organ maintenance and management needs to be improved. It also recommended establishing “Every Organ Played” initiatives to ensure that every organ within a given area is both playable and heard regularly.
Pipe Up said the cost of restoring and repairing organs can be daunting. It notes that the U.K. government has withdrawn the rebate scheme that allowed listed church buildings to recover taxes on eligible maintenance and repair work up to $170,000 per year. As a result, the cost of routine maintenance for a typical local church pipe organ has risen from an average of $800 to $940, leading some churches to cut back on upkeep.
Pipe Up has established its own “Sleeping Beauty” grant fund, under which donations up to $17,500 will be matched by the Dalgleish Trust. The fund aims to restore 26 silent organs to playable condition.
“Since we announced our Sleeping Beauty scheme, we have received 17 online grant applications,” Allen said. “The first two were completed in time for Christmas, and we have just approved two more in South Wales. We have had thousands of visits to our website, growth in our social media following, and many new members. The crowdfunding effort is going well.”
Angela Youngman is a freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of British and international publications.