Restoration of 40 year old organ at Chichester Chapel approved

Plans have been approved for the restoration of a 40 year old organ at St John’s Chapel in Chichester.

The proposal will restore the organ to its 1817 form, which had been dismantled and rebuilt in 1970, of one manual and no pedals. This will provide an instrument of the type for which composers such as Handel, John Stanley and Samuel Wesley wrote music, and will be of particular interest to organists and organ students, playing pieces of the period.

The layout and scale of the organ will fit the current gallery without any reinstatement of the former apse at the east end.

Whilst parts of the dismantled organ including the front pipes will be reused the joinery of the case will be new and timber will be selected and toned to complement the existing panelling of the gallery front, sample finish to be approved, for this and for the pipes.

To view the application visit Chichester District Council’s planning portal using the reference: 22/01628/LBC