This time-lapse film captures the remarkable removal and reinstallation of the organ in the Chapel at King’s College, Cambridge, during its major 2016 restoration. Over nine months, the instrument underwent its most significant programme of work since the 1960s, ensuring that it could continue serving the Chapel for generations to come while remaining fundamentally true to its celebrated 1930s design.

Thousands of pipes were carefully removed and transported to Harrison & Harrison’s workshop in Durham for cleaning and repair, while restoration and conservation work took place inside the empty organ case in Cambridge. Alongside repairs to the organ’s inner mechanisms, new technology and modern materials helped improve reliability without changing the instrument’s essential character.

As this film shows, restoring a great organ is an extraordinary combination of craftsmanship, engineering and musical heritage – all carried out while Chapel life continued around it.