London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Mar 05, 2026

'Eccentric' Bristol house with built-in pipe organ is sold

'Eccentric' Bristol house with built-in pipe organ is sold

A four-bedroom "charismatic and eccentric" terraced house has been sold - with a full organ built into the fabric of the building.

The house in Cliftonwood, Bristol, was put on the market after the previous owner died last year.

Joan Baker, 98, was an organist at the local church. Her husband made the organ, which has pipes going through the landing into one of the bedrooms.

Organist Anna Lapwood said it was "so unusual" to find a house like this.

The price of the sale will not be confirmed until contracts have been exchanged.

From the outside the house in Cliftonwood looks like any other

Mrs Baker, who played the organ at Holy Trinity Church, moved into the house in the 1940s. Her husband, Ronald, and his brother, built the instrument so she could practise at home.

Her neighbour, Dick Willis, said: "She would sit there on the half-landing and play the organ and her husband Ronald would stand on the half-landing below and play the trumpet.

"She was just the most extraordinary person. She died at the age of 98 and had been desperate to make it to 100.

"She had lived in that house since she was 21. She was very much the street granny. She had a great sense of humour. She was just lovely, very sociable."

The organ, which has not been played in several years, is on top of the stairs, but the pipes go all the way around the landing.

"The base pipe and the pump are in the top bedroom and Ronald knocked through the two cupboards in the two top rooms and made a seating area across the stairwell which is where the keyboard, the foot pedals and the treble pipes are," he said.

"So if you go up the house it dominates the place."

Mr Baker built the organ so his wife could practice playing it at home

Ms Lapwood, who is also a conductor and BBC presenter, said she was stunned when she saw the property online.

"Immediately I thought 'Oh my gosh - this is amazing'," she said.

"It is pretty unusual to find an actual pipe organ built into the house in the way it is in this case.

"I sort of thought it's just the dream house. It makes a massive difference to be able to practise whenever you want in the middle of the day instead of trekking to the church where it is also very cold.

"It has to be in the top 10 houses I've ever seen... and I just think it's such a lovely story."

Mrs Baker used to play the organ while her husband played the trumpet

But it is likely the organ has played its last tune, with property experts expecting it to be removed to create more space.

Estate agent James Bailey from Allen and Harris, who sold the house, said: "It is the first time in my 20-year property career that I have brought to market and agreed a home with a full-scale church organ."

He said Cliftonwood and neighbouring Clifton had lots of houses "steeped in history".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
Trump Repeats UK Claims That Diverge from Verified Facts Amid Diplomatic Strain
UK Arrests Prominent Figures Linked to Epstein Network as Questions Mount Over US Action
Trump Says UK ‘Took Far Too Long’ to Approve Use of Airbases for Iran Strikes
Scope of Britain’s Role in the Expanding Middle East Conflict Comes Under Scrutiny
Trump Says He Is ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Iran Comments
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
British Base in Cyprus Targeted as Drones Intercepted Amid Expanding Iran Conflict
Starmer Diverges from Trump on Iran Strategy, Rejects ‘Regime Change from the Skies’
U.S. and Israel Intensify Strikes on Iran as Conflict Expands to Lebanon and Gulf States
Violent Pro-Iranian Protesters Storm U.S. Consulate in Karachi
Missile Debris Sparks Fires at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port Near Palm Jumeirah
Iran Strikes U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain Amid Wider Gulf Retaliation
When the State Replaces the Parent: How Gender Policy Is Redefining Custody and Coercion
Bill Clinton Denies Knowing Woman in Hot Tub Photo During Closed-Door Epstein Deposition
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
Barclays and Jefferies Shares Fall After UK Mortgage Lender Collapse Rekindles Credit Market Concerns
Play Exploring Donald Trump’s Rise to Power by ‘Lehman Trilogy’ Author to Premiere in the UK
Man Arrested After Churchill Statue Defaced in Central London
Keir Starmer Faces Political Setback as Labour Finishes Third in High-Profile By-Election
UK Assisted Dying Bill Set to Fall Short in Parliament as Regional Initiatives Gain Ground
UK Defence Ministry Clarifies Position After Reports of Imminent Helicopter Contract
Independent Left-Wing Plumber Secures Shock Victory as Greens Surge in UK By-Election
Reform UK Refers Alleged ‘Family Voting’ Incidents in By-Election to Police
United Kingdom Temporarily Withdraws Embassy Staff from Iran Amid Heightened Regional Tensions
UK Government Reaches Framework Agreement on Release of Mandelson Vetting Files
×