Beeston St John the Baptist

Organ

The current organ

The now-blocked stair
leading to the former
organ gallery

The door to the stair

After the 1843 rebuilding of the church, an organ by Kirkland and Jardine of Manchester was installed in the gallery in 1853 at a cost of £300 raised by subscription. It was enlarged in 1856 when new stops were added. When the gallery was demolished, the organ chapel was moved to the chancel and opened on 25 February 1876.

The organ was renovated in 1903 and again in 1909, each time by Charles Lloyd of Nottingham. It was further renovated in 1946. After this last renovation the specification was as follows:

Pedal:Open Diapason 16'
Bourdon 16'
Flute 8'

Choir:Lieblich Gedact 8'
Dulciana 8'
Keraulophon 8'
Flute 4'
Piccolo 2'
Clarinet 8'

Great:Bourdon 16'
Open Diapason 8'
Clarabella 8'
Dulciana 8'
Principal 4'
Flute 4'
Twelfth 2⅔'
Fifteenth 2'
Mixture III
Trumpet 8'

Swell:Bourdon 16'
Open Diapason 8'
Stopped Diapason 8'
Echo Gamba 8'
Voix Celeste 8'
Principal 4'
Cornopean 8'
Oboe 8'
Clarion 4'
Tremulant

In 1983 a new organ was installed, made by Messrs J & J Makin of Rochdale at a cost of £16,500. It has three manuals (keyboards),a pedal board and 46 stops. A sound modification of this was included in memory of Edna Benfield 1898-1995.