The earliest record of an organ at the Minster was built by John Snetzler in 1766, although it may have replaced a previous instrument.

Snetzler’s organ had three manuals without pedals and was located on a gallery at the west end of the nave. As was usual for an English organ of this period, the Great and Choir organs went down to G below the modern bottom C, whilst the Swell only went down to tenor C.

This organ was extended by Gray in 1836 and by William Hill in 1842 and 1869.  The church was re-ordered in 1878, and a new organ, incorporating some Snetzler pipework, was built north of the chancel by Abbott and Smith.

By 1926, the organ was in a parlous condition.  Harrison and Harrison of Durham were invited to submit plans for a new instrument, and within a few weeks, Arthur Harrison produced a specification that is little different from the instrument as built. The new organ cost £7,000, of which half was given by a Mr. Standeven.  The organ was installed during 1929, and opened by Edward Bairstow, the organist of York Minster.

Interestingly, an 8′ Open Diapason from the Abbott and Smith instrument now stands on the Swell Organ in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge.  A small amount of Snetzler’s pipework remains in the present instrument – the 8′ and 4′ Flutes on the Choir Organ and the Stopped Diapason and Open Diapason No. 3 on the Great are certainly by Snetzler.  Whether any other pipes are Snetzler in provenance is unknown.

Very few changes have ever been made to the organ, which is still almost exactly as installed in 1929. In 2024 the Great Harmonics Mixture was restored to its original 4-rank (17.19.21.22) after being altered in the 1970s.

The organ retains its 1920s tubular pneumatic mechanism and piston system and is considered an excellent example of Edwardian technology. It was awarded an Historic Organ Certificate in 2011.