Following a devastating incendiary bomb attack in December 1940, all except the tower of All Saints’ Church was left in ruins. The rebuild was costly and not completed until 1967. Finished just in time for the reconsecration, the JW Walker organ was built in the same neo-classical style and same year as its larger sister in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral but differed in having mechanical key action. While it was exciting tonally and visually in keeping with the building, the experimental mechanical action and wind system were not a success.
After almost 50 years of use, a thorough rebuild by Nicholson & Co. in 2015 has included a completely redesigned mechanical action from keys through to soundboard pallets, a new all-electric stop action with a modern piston capture system, and a redesigned wind system with soundboard wind regulators. Now the organ’s full potential can at last be achieved while remaining true to the spirit of its time.
