The first written evidence of an organ in the church was recorded in Ford’s History of Chesterfield- “a fine-toned organ built by Schnetzler of London for the sum of £500, opened 21st October 1756 by Thomas Layland Organist”.

It had 3 manuals and 21 stops, similar to that of King’s Lynn. No English organ had pedals at that date. A grand opening recital at 10.30am had choirs and orchestral players from York, Doncaster, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Grantham and Derby. Tickets at 2s.6d were the equivalent of half a weekly wage for a labourer.

This instrument was rebuilt and moved around the church several times and in 1922 erected on a North Transept gallery, overlooking the choir seated under the tower. Henry Willis III finally restored it with 41 stops in 1958 to mark its bi-centenary, but in 1944 the choir stalls had been moved to the first bay of the nave.

A serious fire in 1961 destroyed this organ but 3 Snetzler ranks were rescued and re-used.

In 1963 Willis erected the extensive pipe-work of the celebrated 1905 Lewis organ from the Glasgow City Hall in the same position, with a new choir vestry beneath. The Lewis 50% tin pipes produced magnificent Schulze-like choruses and the 56 stops had many lovely soft voices. A new detached 3 manual console was placed behind the north choir stalls bringing the organist in touch with the singers again.

In 1988, a fundamental reconstruction of the layout by Philip Wood of Huddersfield restored the fourth manual with some judicious tonal additions, providing an organ of great distinction with 62 stops, now heard to good effect in the nave.

In 2005 recitals marked the centenary of the Lewis instrument and in 2006 further recitals celebrated two and a half centuries of the church’s organs.