All Saints’ Church on Putney Common is launching its formal fundraising campaign today for a new £350,000 organ, marking the latest chapter in the historic church’s musical revival.
The launch event this evening will welcome visitors to see design proposals, hear live music, and view surviving pipes from the church’s original Victorian instrument. The free public event, being held at 6pm in the Grade II* listed building, will offer wine and presentations about the ambitious project that aims to create “an instrument worthy of the beauty of the space.”
The campaign follows the failure of the church’s digital organ in 2024, leaving the congregation without musical accompaniment after decades of making do with electronic alternatives. The loss has prompted church leaders to pursue a more ambitious solution: a purpose-built pipe organ that could serve the community for the next 150 years.
“Music is an integral part of worship, and organs have been the backbone of this for centuries,” the church stated in launching the appeal. “We want to create an instrument which inspires listeners and strengthens the church’s role as a musical and spiritual hub of the community.”
The architectural significance of All Saints’ has shaped the organ project’s design. Built in the 1870s and designed by renowned Victorian architect G.E. Street, the church features interior decoration by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, making it “one of the architectural gems of London” and a prime example of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Thousands of pipes
London-based organ builders Bishop & Son, with over 225 years of experience, have developed plans that will restore the southern organ case in the chancel while using the west archway to project sound into the nave. The new instrument will feature approximately 1,350 pipes and 25 stops, with a movable console that can be repositioned for concerts, teaching, and recitals.
The church’s musical journey reflects broader changes in ecclesiastical music over the past century. The original organ, installed piecemeal and completed in the 1890s, served the congregation until the 1970s when neglect led to its decline. Following a fire and major restoration in the 1990s, most of the original instrument was removed and replaced with digital alternatives.
Church leaders emphasised their research into alternatives before committing to the pipe organ project. “A second-hand instrument will not fit in our current space and would risk obscuring the windows for which the church is Grade II* listed,” they explained. “Digital options are not only musically inferior but do not have a track-record of longevity.”
The fundraising campaign offers multiple ways for supporters to contribute, from general donations to specific elements like “Give us the keys!” for the console construction and “Rescue a rank!” for refurbishing original pipes. Supporters can even purchase individual pipes, with smaller pipes providing higher notes and larger ones producing the deeper, lower tones that give pipe organs their distinctive sound.
Fundraising goals
The church will apply to grant-making bodies for additional funding, though some require evidence of successful independent fundraising before committing support. The congregation and broader community are being asked to contribute toward the total cost as the church works to restore its musical heritage.
All Saints’ Church expects the new organ to serve multiple roles beyond Sunday worship, supporting concerts, teaching programs, and major life events including baptisms, weddings, and funerals. The project represents not just a musical investment but a commitment to maintaining the church’s position as a cultural landmark in southwest London.
The organ will be built off-site before installation, followed by several weeks of “voicing” where specialists match each pipe to the instrument’s acoustics and the church’s unique sound environment.
