What every good shopping experience needs is a pipe organ.
During Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture in 2023, we installed a pipe organ from the late 19th century in Croydon’s Whitgift Shopping Centre. We collaborated with Pipe Up for Pipe Organs, a charity who rescue abandoned organs from being destroyed, to install the instrument.
Our organ was built by Bedfordshire organ builder James Trustam in about 1880. When its previous home (a church in Cranfield, Bedfordshire) closed in 2022, it was rescued and relocated to Croydon.
The first of its kind in the UK, our shopping centre organ was open to the public during Whitgift’s opening hours. Much like the pianos you find in train stations, the organ is free to use and we encouraged people of all abilities to have a go.
Having the organ in Whitgift has really enlivened the section of the shopping centre Turf inhabits. It has been fascinating from our unit opposite to watch people of all ages and backgrounds discover something completely unexpected, step out of their comfort zone to try it out! It’s really contributed to a sense of how creativity in spaces like the shopping centre can help in bringing it more to life.B Atherton, TURF projects
We organised several free pop-up performances with local Croydon groups.
- 8 young choristers (aged 9-15), 6 adult singers, an organist and a conductor from Whitgift Chamber Choir and the Choir of Croydon Minster performed with four of our players
- 5 members of Bromley & Croydon Organists’ Association joined us on launch day
- 13 members of Croydon SDA Gospel Choir raised the roof with a gospel performance
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Supported by Arts Council England