PARISHIONERS of St Paul's Church in Chipperfield will join in songs of praise this Easter Sunday accompanied by its renovated and finely tuned organ.

The re-vamped unit now described as "the best small church organ" in the Diocese of St Albans, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, was originally built in 1877 by renowned 19th Century organ-builder TC Lewis for the Belhaven Church in Glasgow.

The organ rebuilt in 1898 by William Hill and Sons, was officially acquired by St Paul's Church in The Common, Chipperfield, in 1964, and had undergone no further work to date.

The recent revamp completed by Wood Brown Ltd of Haywards Heath follows recommendations made by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) following a report into the maintenance and workings of the Victorian choir organ.

The report attributed key difficulties in tonal regulation and fine tuning to a build up of dust and general wear and tear concluding it needed a thorough clean and overhaul.

A final sum of £28,000 is estimated to have been invested in the renovation of the organ, the majority of which was made available through existing church funds.