Modest four-bed house hiding a full ORGAN built into the walls is sold at auction
A FOUR-BEDROOM house with a full ORGAN built into the walls which snakes up the staircase has been sold at auction. The “charismatic and eccentric” terraced house in Cliftonwood, Bristol, was put to auction after its former church organist owner died aged 98. The house, with an organ built into the fabric of the building, […]
A FOUR-BEDROOM house with a full ORGAN built into the walls which snakes up the staircase has been sold at auction.
The “charismatic and eccentric” terraced house in Cliftonwood, Bristol, was put to auction after its former church organist owner died aged 98.
The house, with an organ built into the fabric of the building, was put on the market after Joan Baker, 98, died last year.
She was an organist at the local church and husband Ronald made the organ, which has pipes going through the landing into a bedroom.
A neighbour said she would play the organ – while he played his trumpet.
Organist Anna Lapwood told the BBC said it was “so unusual” to find a house like this.
The price of the sale will not be confirmed until contracts have been exchanged.
Joan, who played the organ at Holy Trinity Church, moved into the house in the 1940s.
Ronald, and his brother, built the instrument so she could practise at home.
Her neighbour, Dick Willis, told the BBC: “She would sit there on the half-landing and play the organ and her husband Ronald would stand on the half-landing below and play the trumpet.
“She was just the most extraordinary person. She died at the age of 98 and had been desperate to make it to 100.
“She had lived in that house since she was 21. She was very much the street granny. She had a great sense of humour. She was just lovely, very sociable.”
The organ, which has not been played in several years, is on top of the stairs, but the pipes go all the way around the landing.
“The base pipe and the pump are in the top bedroom and Ronald knocked through the two cupboards in the two top rooms and made a seating area across the stairwell which is where the keyboard, the foot pedals and the treble pipes are,” Dick said.
“So if you go up the house it dominates the place.”
Ms Lapwood, who is also a conductor and BBC presenter, said she was stunned when she saw the property online.
“Immediately I thought ‘Oh my gosh – this is amazing’,” she said.
“It is pretty unusual to find an actual pipe organ built into the house in the way it is in this case.
“I sort of thought it’s just the dream house. It makes a massive difference to be able to practise whenever you want in the middle of the day instead of trekking to the church where it is also very cold.
“It has to be in the top 10 houses I’ve ever seen… and I just think it’s such a lovely story.”
But it is likely the organ has played its last tune, with property experts expecting it to be removed to create more space.
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Estate agent James Bailey from Allen and Harris, who sold the house, said: “It is the first time in my 20-year property career that I have brought to market and agreed a home with a full-scale church organ.”
He said Cliftonwood and neighbouring Clifton had lots of houses “steeped in history”.
The price has not been revealed.