How Scotland's church organs are on the brink of being lost forever

Under the skilled hands of successive organists, the music flowed at Christmas and Easter, at weddings and funerals, on Sundays as congregation numbers dwindled until, in September last year when the church closed, it fell silent.

The organ is regarded as a rare gem among church organs, considered by the British Institute of Organ Studies as an outstanding historic instrument in highly original condition.

But as churches across the country shut, it is just one of dozens under threat of being lost forever.

With their loss, come fears that the art of playing a pipe organ – a complex instrument requiring intense learning and practice – will also be consigned to the past.

In June, the organ at St Columba’s will be the focus for a poignant gathering aimed at highlighting the threat to it and scores of other church organs around the country.

The aim, says Andrew Forbes, director of music at Glasgow Cathedral and volunteer with Sowne of Organe, which has been carrying out detailed surveys of Scotland’s historic organs, will be to remind communities and church leaders of what they stand to lose.

For the prospect, he warns, is generations to come who will never experience the sheer drama, uplifting joy and deep vibrating rumble of a church organ in full flow.

“Unlike the violin or the piano, you can’t have one at home, you need either a concert hall with an organ or a church to learn to play on,” he says.

“Without these instruments you are not going to have organists, and the art of playing the organ will eventually die.

“Already it is an instrument that has a PR problem associated with cold churches and old men.

“It’s not like playing the guitar. But there are young organists working hard to break that perception - you don’t have to use them to just play church music.”

There is also the risk of losing a distinctive part of social and local history, he adds.

Even similar models of church organs have unique features. Often bought by community fundraising, they are crafted to fit particular spaces, and fine-tuned in a method calling “voicing” so it is in perfect harmony with its surroundings.

St Columba’s organ is particularly special: made by one of the finest pipe organ makers in the land, Henry Willis or “Father Willis” it has survived with all of its original actions and an expansive tonal scheme and is regarded as a stunning example of his work.

However, as part of a nationwide streamlining of church buildings taking place across the country, St Columba’s has already closed, placing a question mark over the building, its stunning stained glass windows, ornate wooden interior and the organ.  

“This one is unaltered, it’s in fantastic condition, doesn’t need lots of maintenance, and has been there since 1892 virtually untouched.

“We are saying if we can’t care about this organ, what is the hope for the rest?”

The group is in a race against time. With churches across denominations closing almost every week, it has so far surveyed seven church organs deemed to be among the country’s most significant.

They include the organ at St Modan’s Parish Church, Roseneath, gifted to the congregation by Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria and Duchess of Argyll.

However, it is a time-consuming and intensive process involving picking instruments apart, recording fine details, photographing their guts and, crucially, recording their sound.

As a result, only a handful of organs are likely to be fully recorded: currently more than 160 Church of Scotland organs have been identified by the Scottish Federation of Organists as at risk of becoming redundant.

They include five – among them, St Columba’s - regarded as ‘Class 1’ and exceptional instruments seen as “imperative to save or preserve” due to their history, unique attributes or high quality of their construction.

A further 30 are ‘Class 2’, considered “important to save or preserve”. Around 20 are designated ‘Class 3’ and “worth saving” and a further 40 regarded as “unlikely to be saved but may be a good - and maybe useful – organ”.

Of key concern is that none of Scotland’s church organs have ‘listed’ status: there is nothing to prevent new church building owners removing them, selling or even destroying them.

“You can buy a church and It could be the most important instrument in the world but there is currently nothing to stop you chucking the organ in the bin,” adds Andrew.

The warning comes as new research and online map produced by Scotland's Churches Trust highlights the threat to church buildings across Scotland.

It has identified 542 churches under threat or awaiting decisions over their future, 55 Church of Scotland churches closed or sold since 2020 or currently on the market, and one that has been demolished prior to sale.

A further 677 churches have been classified as currently “safe”. However, that may change when the next round of presbytery planning begins, and the process of re-examining remaining buildings starts again.

The Trust says it working to find out the fate of a further 234 churches.

Because individual presbyteries have worked in isolation to create mission plans, until now it has been challenging to gain a full nationwide view of how far reaching the changes are likely to be.

That has led to concerns that some communities only discover church buildings are to be sold when it is already too late for them to mount a bid to take them on.

Dr DJ Johnston-Smith, Director of Scotland’s Churches Trust, says the scale of change is hitting home now as churches go on the market and their interiors are removed.

“Congregations just don’t know what to do,” he says.

“People are working hard behind the scenes in the fervent hope it won’t happen, and minds somewhere will be changed.”

Volunteers working with the Trust have been recording church interiors, including general features such as ornate pulpits, pews, art and regalia, while others focus on recording war memorials and glass.

They include the Scottish Stained Glass Symposium & Trust which is trying to create a national register of the most significant and, possibly, a national museum of stained glass.

“Churches are mini museums,” he adds. “Church recording is the commemoration of something that is dying.”

For music lovers, meanwhile, the loss of countless church organs is particularly concerning.

There are hopes some may be exported to Europe where there is demand for the high-quality pipe organs: one was delivered to a church in Germany, where a special balcony had been built simply to accommodate it.

But it’s feared many are likely to be scrapped.

Robin Bell of the Federation of Organists says that raises many questions.

“These instruments represent a historical, artistic, educational, cultural and pastoral side of Scotland, were financed by generous congregations and benefactors (including Andrew Carnegie), and have received much public funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other fund-providers. 

“Culture may be defined as “the human response” to religious belief.

“Yet the General Trustees have informed me that “they [the pipe organs] are not principally there to contribute to knowledge and culture”, a statement which has stunned many of us including many of my ministerial colleagues. 

“The valued presence of our civic instruments, such as that in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, as well as their inclusion for study in our universities and the Royal Conservatoire, and the contribution these instruments make to national events of mourning, remembrance and commemoration, points to the contrary being true.”

He adds pipe organs, classed as fixtures, are some of the most valuable assets owned by the church.

“It remains a mystery to me, as to why the church owns so many listed, significant buildings, yet they or their congregations do not admit to owning any heritage assets inside these buildings.”

The June 1 event at St Columba’s may be a final chance to hear the organ in full flow.

Andrew adds: “We are trying to highlight how the Church of Scotland and presbyteries will be losing so much heritage.

“We need to make sure there’s a record of these instruments, because when it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”