Mansfield St Peter and St Paul

Organ

In 1794 there is the earliest reference to an organ in the church. The inhabitants gained permission from the Archbishop to install an organ in the gallery at the west of the church. It was built by John Donaldson of York and cost 200 guineas, raised by subscription. The subscribers had the right to vote on who was to be appointed as the organist. The first performance of the organ was on 11 July 1795 and was of Handel's Messiah. The organist was Maria Lister.

In 1870 all the galleries in the church were removed and the organ was moved to the south chapel.

A three-manual organ built by Brindley & Foster of Sheffield was installed in the south chapel in 1872. A brass plaque in the chapel, originally attached to this organ, reads:

TO THE PRAISE OF THE LORD
Given by
MARTIN FURNISS A.D. 1870.
Erected 1872
HENRY LEIGH BENNETT, Vicar.

In 1902 an organ chamber was added to the south chapel and the previously free standing organ was moved into it.

The organ was overhauled by Henry Groves of Nottingham in 1957 and in 1970 it was sold.

In 1971 an organ by Gray & Davison (dating from c1870 and rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison) was moved here from Clare College, Cambridge and used as the basis of a new organ built by Noel Mander of London. In 2000 the organ was cleaned and thoroughly overhauled by Wood of Huddersfield.

The technical specification of the organ is available on the National Pipe Organ Register website.