'A Registered Charity in Scotland'
St Andrew's Cathedral known as Inverness Cathedral
Today's Date: Sunday 5th July 2026
Today's Date: Sunday 5th July 2026
The present organ in Inverness Cathedral was installed by Makin Organ builders in 2004, during the redevelopment of the South side of the cathedral. It replaced a Hill organ which had served the Cathedral well, but had fallen into disrepair and had become unreliable. The decision was taken to replace the old instrument with a custom-designed digital instrument.
The traditional drawstop console has 96 speaking stops and a complete range of couplers and other accessories spread over four manuals. The sumptuous console has wooden keyboards, long-throw solenoid drawstops and is made from polished oak to match the woodwork in the cathedral. Significant time was spent in voicing the instrument to amply cover a wide variety of musical and historical styles as well as the present day needs of the building.
The speakers are enclosed within four separate cases with polished tin pipe facades placed high up on the cathedral walls; the Great and Solo divisions being on the South transept, the Swell and Choir on the North transept. Two further speakers in the North and South transepts accommodate the Pedal and the 16′ Great stops respectively.
The West end section is in two enclosures on the north and south walls at the west end, with a rank of horizontal fanfare trumpets projecting from the West Gallery. With 46 channels of amplification, the organ has enough power and versatility to support a full cathedral of singers.
The Cathedral of St Andrew, Inverness was opened on 1st September, 1869, and was consecrated on 29th September 1874. The first organ was built by the firm of William Hill of London in 1867, and installed in the Cathedral in 1868, occupying a position in the Choir on the South side. It was a gift of a Miss Macpherson-Grant of Aberlour, and was built under the supervision of Professor Oakeley.
It was blown by Joy’s Patent Water Engine, and was originally intended to be positioned in the small chamber on the North side, but the generosity of the gift made this impossible- so the South side became the preferred site.
Room was provided for the addition of stops at a later date, including a 32’ Open Diapason on the pedal, but none of this came to fruition.
