Canterbury Cathedral Organ Loft

From 2016 to 2020 Will Pirkis led the project with Caruso St John to design a new organ loft for Canterbury Cathedral. The loft is located in the centre of the Cathedral in the north Quire aisle, and houses the organ, organist and assistants. It replaces the previous location of the console on the Pulpitum Screen between the Nave and Quire. The loft was part of wider works to address centuries-old issues with the sound of the organ, and the relationship of the organist to the choirmaster. The project was carried out in consultation with Purcell, Canterbury’s Fabric Advisory Committee and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England.

As an object, the loft takes part in the verticality, asymmetrical organisation and additive composition of Gothic architecture. It sits like a small building in the larger Cathedral, alongside other structures such as pulpits, porches and tombs. The delicate frame is constructed from blackened steel, recalling the ironwork gates and railings in the cathedral. Black walnut panels enclose the stair and platform, the figured grain appearing somewhere between the 14th century tracery screens, and the flatness of the 12th century stone surfaces around it.