An unusual organ which may have been destined for a skip has been saved, restored and installed into a Dalton church.

The organ, built by Wilkinson & Son in Kendal, has managed to be salvaged and relocated from the recently closed Dalton Methodist Church. 

The organ was installed by local man Mark Latimer, who spent over a decade building Lily the Dutch-style street organ.

He was also involved in the restoration of the Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ at the Royalty Cinema in Bowness which took over five years. 

The Mail: CREATIVE: Mark Latimer with his creation

The saved organ, now at Dalton Community Church, sounds well in the bright acoustics of the newly refurbished building, which also has no carpet - further adding its reverberation.

Speaking about the organ, Mark said: "I've known this instrument from childhood and was determined that it wouldn't end up in a skip when the church closed. Fortunately, they have a really capable and enthusiastic organist who can make best use of its resources, and the church authorities were also very supportive of its relocation."

The organ seat itself unique in that it has a backrest.

Mark said: "I think this was added to the bench in its previous location because the organ was positioned on a platform with a considerable drop behind the organ bench."

The organ was painted to give it a new look and to match the church interior. The installation work took Mark eight months of hard graft as he had to adapt to the space available meaning the bottom octave is now unenclosed.

The organ has two manuals, keyboards played by the hands, and a pedal, played by the feet. To find out more finer details about the organ, visit the specialist National Organ Pipe Register.