Blackpool High Tide Organ

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The Blackpool High Tide Organ is just one in a series of sculptures situated along Blackpool's New Promenade - the whole series are known as 'The Great Promenade Show'. They are said to be unique interpretations of Blackpool's natural and man-made environments - The High Tide Organ is the musical manifestation of the sea.

It is a sculpture but it is also a musical instrument which is played by the sea at high tide. Eight pipes are attached to the sea wall. These are connected under the promenade to 18 organ pipes within the sculpture. The swell of seawater at high tide pushes air up the sea-wall pipes and causes the organ pipes to sound. The best time to hear the High Tide Organ is 2-3 hours before or after high tide. On very calm days the organ is silent for part of its cycle. The pitches of the pipes are based on the harmonic series in B flat, a naturally occurring series of harmonics.

The High Tide Organ was designed by the artists Liam Curtin and John Gooding. It stands about 15m tall.