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The Cathedral's four-manual organ is situated in the Quire. Originally built by Father Willis in 1886, alterations were made by Norman & Beard and by Henry Willis during the twentieth century.
In 1976 N.P. Mander carried out a more radical rebuild, which included the removal of the Solo organ and the addition of a Nave Organ in a handsome case situated in the north aisle.
Much of Father Willis's pipework, including a few stops from an earlier instrument by Samuel Green, survived these interventions, and forms the backbone of the most recent substantial overhaul of the organ by Harrison & Harrison in 2020.
The Pedal, Great, and Swell Organs, and the Tubas are in the south quire triforium; the Choir, Solo, and Transept Great Organs, and the
Open Woods in the north triforium. The console is sited in the north Quire Aisle, behind the choir stalls.
For a specification of the instrument, please see below.
In addition to the Quire organ, Canterbury Cathedral also houses a single-manual tracker instrument by J.W. Walker & Sons, a chamber organ by Kenneth Tickell, an extension organ by F.H. Browne, and ‘The Galpin Organ’, one of only six domestic organs to have survived from the late seventeenth century, and one of only two which are in working order.
Specification of Canterbury Cathedral's Quire Organ, rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 2020
PEDAL ORGAN
*1. Double Open Wood (from 3) 32
*2. Sub Bourdon (from 6) 32
*3. Open Wood 16
4. Open Diapason 16
5. Violone 16
6. Bourdon 16
7. Lieblich Bourdon (from19)16
*8. Octave Wood (from 3) 8
9. Octave 8
10. Flute 8
11. Super Octave 4
12. Open Flute 4
13. Mixture 19.22.26.29 IV
14. Contra Posaune 32
15. Ophicleide 16
16. Fagotto 16
17. Posaune 8
18. Clarion 4
I Choir to Pedal II Great to Pedal
III Swell to Pedal IV Solo to Pedal
V Pedal Divide
CHOIR ORGAN (unenclosed)
*19. Lieblich Bourdon 16
*20. Open Diapason 8
21. Chimney Flute 8
*22. Dulciana 8
*23. Principal 4
*24. Stopped Flute (wood) 4
25. Nazard 22/3
*26. Fifteenth 2
27. Block Flute 2
28. Tierce 13
/5
*29. Mixture 15.19.22 III
*30. Trumpet 8
31. Corno di Bassetto 8
VI Tremulant
VII Octave VIIII Unison Off IX Sub Octave
X Swell to Choir XI Solo to Choir
GREAT ORGAN
32. Double Open Diapason 16
33. Open Diapason I 8
34. Open Diapason II 8
*35. Gamba 8
36. Claribel Flute 8
37. Stopped Diapason 8
38. Principal 4
39. Flûte Harmonique 4
40. Twelfth 22/3
41. Fifteenth 2
42. Harmonic Piccolo 2
43. Mixture 15.17.19.22 IV
44. Fourniture 19.22.26.29 IV-V
45. Trombone 16
46. Trumpet 8
47. Clarion 4
XII Choir to Great XIII Swell to Great
XIV Solo to Great XV Reeds on Choir
XVI Reeds on Solo
XVII Manuals I & II exchange
SWELL ORGAN (enclosed)
48. Double Open Diapason 16
49. Open Diapason 8
50. Lieblich Gedact 8
51. Salicional 8
52. Vox Angelica (tenor c) 8
53. Principal 4
* 54. Lieblich Flute 4
55. Flageolet 2
56. Mixture 17.19.22 III
57. Mixture 15.19.22.26.29 V
* 58. Contra Hautboy 16
59. Hautboy 8
* 60. Vox Humana 8
XVIII Tremulant
61. Double Trumpet 16
62. Trumpet 8
63. Clarion 4
XIX Octave XX Unison Off
XXI Sub Octave. XXII Solo to Swell
SOLO ORGAN (enclosed)
* 64. Viole d’Amour 8
* 65. Voix Céleste (tenor c) 8
* 66. Flûte Harmonique 8
* 67. Celestina 4
* 68. Concert Flute 4
* 69. Piccolo Harmonique 2
* 70. Cor Anglais 16
* 71. Orchestral Oboe 8
* 72. Clarinet 8
XXIII Tremulant
* 73. French Horn 8
* 74. Ophicleide 8
75. Tuba 8
76. Tuba Clarion 4
XXIV Octave XXV Unison Off
XXVI Sub Octave XXVII Tuba Shutters On
TRANSEPT GREAT ORGAN
* 77. Bourdon 16
* 78. Open Diapason 8
* 79. Principal 4
* 80. Twelfth 22/3
* 81. Fifteenth 2
* 82. Mixture 15.19.22.26 IV
* 83. Posaune 8
XXVIII Transept on Choir
XXIX Transept on Solo
NAVE ORGAN
84. Bourdon (from 89) 16
85. Open Diapason 8
86. Principal 4
87. Fifteenth 2
88. Mixture 19.22.26.29 IV-V
XXX Nave on Great XXXI Nave on Solo
NAVE PEDAL
89. Bourdon 16
COMBINATION COUPLERS
XXXII General Foot Pistons
XXXIII Great & Pedal Pistons
ACCESSORIES
Eight foot pistons to the Pedal Organ
Eight pistons to the Choir Organ
Eight pistons to the Great Organ
Eight pistons to the Swell Organ
duplicated by foot pistons.
Eight pistons to the Solo Organ
Four pistons to the Nave Organ
Eight general pistons
and general cancel
Reversible pistons : I-IV, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XXII; 1, 2, 14
Reversible foot pistons: II, XIII; 1, 2, 14
Two coupler pistons
Reversible piston for Full Organ
Stepper, operating general pistons in sequence
999 general and 16 divisional piston memory levels
Two balanced swell pedals
Manual compass 61 notes
Pedal compass 32 notes
The actions are electro-pneumatic
* stops marked with an asterisk are new
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