The Guards’ Chapel

The Guards’ Chapel Organ Campaign

The Chapel’s Organ

Music is an essential part of the Guards’ Chapel and our organ is of vital importance. It sits on galleries on either side of the chancel, with the bulk of the organ on the north side, and the blower, chest and pipework for the horizontal chamade reed – trumpets in effect – on the south side. The organ complements the Chapel’s first-class professional choir and allows for traditional hymns and anthems to be sung in all services. It is used on an almost daily basis and, unfortunately, is now no longer able to meet all these demands and is quickly deteriorating.

The organ was built by Hill, Norman and Beard for Cannizaro House in Wimbledon a century ago; parts of it were installed in the Organ Room at Glyndebourne in 1919. It was rebuilt and placed in the Guards’ Chapel in 1971. Further adaptions were made to address some of the organ’s limitations which became evident in the 1980s. In recent years, it has suffered from the normal seasonal changes as well as increasing age. Consequently, it has now become consistently unreliable, with some stops failing to function when required.

Concerns over the reliability of our organ have recently led the Guards’ Chapel Committee to commission a detailed condition survey of the instrument by the UK’s leading organ expert. This appraisal confirmed that it is not able to do justice to a first-class choir and military bands, owing to limitations in its design, and its age. Components are in danger of failing without warning, thus compromising the high-profile events that are held at the Chapel.

The Campaign

To address this critical situation, the Major General Commanding the Household Division and the Guards’ Chapel Committee have taken the decision to commission and install a new pipe organ. This new organ will support not only the Chapel’s ceremonial and weekly services but also a greater programme of recitals and concerts which make use of the Chapel’s facilities, including outreach initiatives for the local community and schools.

We are seeking to raise £1 million from private donations to provide a new organ worthy of the Guards’ Chapel. We hope you will join us in supporting this ambitious and worthwhile Campaign.

To donate now, please click the button to donate

or Contact the Treasurer at:

treasurer@householddivision.org.uk or phone 02074142270