CONTRA BOURDON PIPES IN PLACE

From Friday, November 05, 1999

In the two weeks since arriving, the Western Organ is taking shape - and doing so quickly. The wooden structures are in place, including the swell box and shutters, but more exciting is that the first pipes have now been put into the organ - and they're the hardest ones to put in - the Contrabourdon stops. The Contrabourdon is a 32 foot pedal extension of the 16 foot bourdon, and they're the tallest pipes in the organ. They are placed on the back wall of the cathedral and their light colour blends in with the back wall (you can barely see them in the background of the photo opposite, but you can see them surrounding the Rose window).

Western Organ taking shape as pipes ready to be inserted