The Woodberry & Harris Opus 100 was state-of-the-art when completed in St. Mary's Church in1892. Unable to obstruct the massive stained glass window in the choir loft, engineers divided the organ's 3,000 pipes into two sections. At the time, it was the largest instrument built by the manufacturer. The pipes have never been altered. Other than the blower motor, their is nothing electric within this 120 year-old masterpiece.
After hundreds of liturgies a year, the pipe organ continues to play. But the instrument has also endured considerable wear and tear. The mini-recital by Peter Sykes on Oct. 27 brought much entertainment to parishioners and guests, and also raised awareness for our Parish's ambitious project: with luck, the Woodberry & Harris pipe organ will be restored by Andover Organ Company to play for another 100 years.
Visit http://stmarystcatherine.org/restoring-st-marys-pipe-organ/ to learn more about this historically unique instrument, and how you can help in our efforts!