AN HISTORIC organ which was removed from a York church so it could undergo a £360,000 restoration is now being reinstalled - in a different York church.

The organ, which dates back to 1885 and was made by York organ builder William Denman, was taken away from St Michael-le-Belfrey, near York Minster, almost a year ago for a major restoration by Nicholson & Co in Malvern, Worcestershire.

It will now be re-built piece by piece within the north transept of St Lawrence Parish Church in Lawrence Street, a project which is expected to take several weeks.

Jonty Ward, organist at St Lawrence and a recent postgraduate student of the University of York, said it was 'very exciting' to see the organ coming to the church.

"I am looking forward to seeing it fill the church with music, once the installation is complete," he said.

“This will be the first organ in 137 years in the current building that will properly fit with the stature of the building, both visually and musically.

"We look forward to welcoming people in the coming months to visit the church and see for themselves how the organ will support worship at St Lawrence’s.

“This has been a significant project for St Lawrence and St Michael le Belfrey, and we are particularly thankful to all those who have supported us so far as we reach this milestone.”

A spokesman said the restorers had paid close attention to each part of the organ, from pipework to the keyboards."With over 2,000 pipes to be cleaned, repaired, and strengthened, before being regulated and voiced, it has been a considerable undertaking," he said. "Where necessary, new pipework has been made, taken from copies of existing Denman pipework.

"At St Lawrence’s, a reinforced concrete floor was installed and re-tiled, and nearby stonework was maintained to ensure that when the organ is in place, it will not be at risk of damage from the stonework."

A spokesperson for St Michael Le Belfry Church said it used bands for music rather than the organ and it had been happy for it to go to St Lawrence's.