Historic Pipe Organ at Millthorpe School Restored After Decade of Disuse

A historic pipe organ at a school has been brought back into service following more than ten years of inactivity. The musical instrument, located at Millthorpe School in York, underwent repairs conducted by Geoffrey Coffin, who was the original organist responsible for its installation in 1983. With the restoration now complete, Millthorpe School stands as the sole state educational institution in the city possessing a fully functional pipe organ accessible to students. Alice Longbottom, the head of music, described the instrument as an “epic piece of engineering that needs to be used”. She recounted: “I took up a post here in September, and walked into the hall and saw this grand old instrument.” “I got very excited about it and then said ‘who plays it?’, and the answer was nobody, and it hadn’t been played for years.” Longbottom noted that the instrument’s numerous pipes produced a sound “like an orchestra” during performance. Max Elliot, affiliated with York Minster and holding the position of assistant director of music at St Olave’s and All Saints churches in York, also contributed to coordinating the organ’s repair and restoration efforts. Elliot stated: “The joy of this organ is that it is available for all to play, there are so few places that offer the opportunity to play a real pipe organ, but here there is an opportunity for anybody to have a go.”