Duns Parish Church was among the very first Church of Scotland congregations to introduce an organ, providing musical accompaniment to worship – some sources claim we were only the second in the entire Church, and the first with General Assembly approval. This was around 1865, apparently ‘to help induce young people to come to church’. Sadly this pioneering instrument was destroyed in the 1879 fire. As the rebuilt church was paid for by insurance and the heritors, the congregation themselves raised the money for a new organ, and the result was the beautiful and magnificent Peter Conacher which has now served us for well over a century. It was originally powered by a steam engine in the base of the steeple but now operates electrically. It was refurbished in 1912 and 1993 and restored with grant assistance in 2003. Our treasured and much-loved instrument recently received a prestigious Historic Organ Certificate.