Retired music teacher Alison Malcolm, 66, has £20,000 organ in garden shed near Salisbury

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A retired music teacher has built a custom-made £20,000 garden shed at the bottom of her lawn to house her huge church organ.

Alison Malcolm, 66, bought the 424-pipe Victorian instrument from a church 20 years ago for just £500 after they wanted to clear room for renovations.

She spent thousands transporting the ten foot tall organ and another £20,000 building a special sound-proof shed at the end of the lawn at her detached home.

The stunning instrument - made by one of the finest pipe organ makers in history - has just been valued at a staggering £72,000.

And talented player Alison insists its unusual location not only helps her play better but also keeps her pet hens happy and doesn't disturb the neighbours.

She said: "I really am very lucky to have it - it is a beautiful instrument.

"It is a bit unusual to have a huge church organ at the bottom of your garden where most people keep the garden tools.

"I think most people think I'm a fruit and nut case to be honest but I don't mind.

"I love my organ. The dogs like the music, and the hens like it too - I reckon it makes them lay more eggs."

Lifelong musician Alison, from Alderbury, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, bought the organ from Cheriton Baptist Church, in Folkestone, in 1995.

The clergy wanted to sell it to make room to install meeting rooms after the stunning wooden and metal instrument was abandoned in favour of more portable instruments.

The 1881 eight stopper organ with two keyboards was made by the esteemed 'Father' Henry Willis - the man behind the organs at St Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Albert Hall.

But miraculously the church accepted Alison's offer of £500 for the instrument - despite later receiving a £20,000 offer from Holland.

She hired specialists to dismantle and reassemble the air-powered instrument and after realising it would not fit in her living room decided to built a huge garden shed.

Council planners gave her permission for the structure after visiting her remote home - and making her promise not to play before 8am and after 11pm.

Alison, who is director of music at her local church said: "I was so lucky to get the organ for that price, and it was very good of the church to honour their agreement with me.

"It balances beautifully because it is built by such a genius. You pull out one stop and whatever you pull out on top of it to add colour it still balances.

"I had to put it in storage while the room was built. It was quite a thing - the roof had to be specially built and 20 men had to lift the huge metal girder in to support the roof.

"It doesn't disturb anyone when I play because the shed really is sound proof.

"And it's also not that loud. If you pulled out every stop on the organ and played it together it would be very loud, but you don't do that."

The organ has a range of wooden and metal pipes helping it to create a whole orchestra of sounds - including flutes, trumpets and strings.

Each stop - the component which lets pressurized air into a set of pipes - is insured for £9,000, making the organ worth £72,000.