The pipe organ in St Mary's, rebuilt in 1979 by Hill, Norman and Beard (from an 1891 Walker organ, rebuilt 1951), gave very poor performance during its final years owing to a combination of factors including worn-out parts and dirt, a malfunctioning electronic transmission system, and the positioning of the main organ on a high gallery behind the north arch which muffled the sound. It suffered a final blow in December 2005 when a visitor to the church accidentally put 240 volts through the organ by forcing the plug of the moving console into a socket the wrong way. This effectively burnt out the electronic transmission system inside the organ.
The advice of the Diocesan Organ Advisor, based on professional opinion, was that the poor state of the organ prior to this accident did not justify the considerable cost of repairing the damage. The church therefore decided to purchase a Viscount Prestige 80 electronic organ which was installed in March 2006. Over the next few years the church plans to raise funds to install a new pipe organ (most probably an overhauled good quality second hand instrument) in conjunction with major restoration work to the church building.
©St Mary's Church Aylesbury