All Saints’ Putney Organ Restoration Effort
All Saints’ Putney Organ Restoration Effort
By Alex Turner, Director of Music at All Saints’ Church
Image of what the restored organ will look like.
All Saints’ Church on Putney Common is a hidden gem of the Arts and Crafts movement. 2024 saw 150 years since the completion of the building. Designed by Architect G. E. Street (famous for the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand), all of the stained glass is by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones.
The church was originally built to serve the poorer end of Putney, and no pew rents were charged. Although the church was opened in 1874, it took a number of decades of gifts and bequests to complete the building to include the current glasswork and furnishings. Similarly, the original organ was put in on a shoe-string budget. One of its four compartments was never completed in its lifetime, and the instrument began to become unreliable in the 1970s. The whole church then fell into disuse, and was almost closed to become a storage unit or a factory!
A fire in the early 1990s spelt the start of a period of rejuvenation and renewal for the church to become part of the hub of the community. As the large-scale rescue and refurbishment took place in the 1990s, the then organ was deemed un-salvageable (much of it had been encased in asbestos) and was too expensive to repair alongside all the other work that the building needed. Two thirds of it were removed and scrapped, with one organ case remaining with pipes gathering dust.
Therefore our current project is to restore the original 1874 vision for the organ, and create an instrument that befits the beauty of the building. A design very similar to the original will be used, and some of the remaining 150 year old pipes will be recycled into the new instrument.
We are aiming to raise £350,000 for this project. To most people this is an eye-watering sum, but considering a new digital organ would cost us £40,000 and would last less than a quarter of the time, never mind being aesthetically far less suitable, we feel that this is a worthwhile investment in the future of the church, the community and its music. To date (November 2025) we have raised just over £150,000.
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Organs are not just about playing hymns. They are instruments of the community, accompanying carols at Christmas, playing newlyweds down the aisle, punctuating moments of solemnity at funerals and at Remembrance. We also want to see this instrument as so much more than a ‘church organ’. It will accompany concerts in the community by professionals and amateurs alike, attract renowned recitalists, inspire young people, and offer tuition on the organ.
We wish for this organ to be the beating heart of the community. Can you help us? Read more about the project, and how you can help and/or donate here: https://allsaints.parishofputney.com/music/organ-campaign/
Upcoming fundraisers:
- 23rd November, 6pm-7pm – Professional Choral Concert: Parry’s Songs of Farewell and music by Whitacre, Harris and Mendelssohn.
- 7th December, 6pm-8:30pm – Community Christmas Concert: The 1885 Singers and Church Choirs team up to perform Bob Chilcott’s On Christmas Night and other festive favourites.
- 1st February, 6pm-7pm – Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols performed by the church choirs and harpist Cecily Beer.
- 1st March, 5pm-6:30pm – Opera Gala: Rising operatic stars from across the UK perform a recital of solos and ensembles from your favourite operas.
- 6th March, 7pm-10pm – Barn Dance: The popular Barn Dance is back! Kick up your heels and enjoy some lively music in a beautiful setting.
All the above are free entry with the exception of the Barn Dance, tickets for which will be available soon.
Those looking to get involved with or donate to the organ project, or would like sponsor one the above events, please contact Alex: DoM.AllSaints@parishofputney.co.uk
