Specialist Organ Tour

Portsmouth Cathedral is opening up its organ for a specialist tour on Thursday 17 September, from 14:15 to 15:15. It's a free event, part of Heritage Open Days 2026, and it runs for about an hour. The tour works its way through the unusual architecture and history of the cathedral's organ, an instrument that plays a key part in the building's worship and in its very fabric.

It's worth remembering that the cathedral itself is older than it looks. It's often mistaken for a modern building, but it dates back to 1182 as a Romanesque church dedicated to Thomas Becket, with more than 800 years of history between its 12th-century chapel and the 'new' west end completed in the 1990s. Sitting at the historic heart of Old Portsmouth, it's long been tied to the Royal Navy and the seafaring community: inside you can see remnants of Lord Nelson's flag from HMS Victory and the grave of an unknown crew member of the Mary Rose.

The tour follows the cathedral's weekly lunchtime concert, Lunchtime Live, so if you're around early, you can hear the organ in action before you go behind the scenes to see how it's put together. It's a good way to spend a Thursday afternoon in the city, and since it's free, it's an easy one to drop into. The cathedral is on the High Street in Old Portsmouth, PO1 2HH.