The cathedral organ
In November 2016 our four-manual TC Lewis/Croft pipe organ was damaged as a result of the 7.8 earthquake centred near Kaikoura. Several of the large 16’ pedal pipes were dislodged, some of them falling on to the choir stalls themselves while others damaged pipework inside the chamber. While most of the pipework came away unscathed, including the valuable core of Lewis pipework found in the Swell division, the supporting timber structure was found to be unsafe. The entire chancel area was out-of-bounds to enter until the pipework and surrounding structure was made safe in November 2017.
The organ prior to the earthquake
Some of the damage caused by the earthquake
Shortly afterwards, the Cathedral congregation voted unanimously to purchase a new four-manual digital instrument, which will serve the Cathedral music until such time as a large-scale rebuild of the pipe organ can proceed. For more information about the TC Lewis/Croft pipe organ, please visit this page.
In October 2018 a Viscount Regent Classic digital organ was installed. The instrument was custom built for the Cathedral, and features four manuals, 85 speaking stops and 42 speakers.
You can view the specification for the new organ by clicking here.
The lady chapel organ
The Lady Chapel Organ is a Walker “Positive” extension organ of three and a half ranks distributed over two manuals and pedals, and eighteen stops. It was built by J.Walker & Sons, London in 1961 and was first installed in the Calvary Hospital Chapel, Wellington. The organ was subsequently moved to other locations and was used for a time in the Roman Catholic Church in Newlands. It was from there that it was dismantled, shifted and installed in the organ chamber in the Lady Chapel in December 1991, and in April 1993 was purchased by the Cathedral as a gift from the Arthur Button Trust. This is a delightful instrument for accompanying services in the Chapel and for the Cathedral organists to teach and practise on.
Great
Open Diapason 8′
Lieblich Gedackt 8′
Dulciana 8′
Principal 4′
Twelfth 2 2/3′
Fifteenth 2′
Mixture III
Swell
Open Diapason 8′
Lieblich Gedackt 8′
Dulciana 8′
Lieblich Flute 4′
Dulcet 4′
Nazard 2 2/3′
Piccolo 2′
Pedal
Bourdon 16′
Flute 8′
Principal 4′
Flute 4′