A 125-year-old organ which has entertained kings, emperors and wounded WWI soldiers at Blenheim Palace, is helping to pay for its own restoration.

The organ, built in 1891 by renowned maker "Father" Henry Willis, has 2,300 pipes and 52 speaking stops - the largest organ in a private house in Europe.

In order to help fund repairs, which are estimated in excess of £400,000, the giant organ is being played in twice-weekly recitals with visitors invited to make a donation.

The restoration programme will replace deteriorated leatherwork and other worn-out parts of the instrument.

Several stops no longer work, some notes are inoperable and some of the pistons, which allow the player to change registration rapidly, are broken.

Father Willis designed and built the organ at the Willis Rotunda Organ Works in Camden, London. It was transported in sections to Blenheim Palace and assembled in the large bay window opposite the entrance to the library over the next two and a half years.

The organ was the inspiration of the 8th Duke of Marlborough and his wife Lillian, but he only enjoyed it for one year prior to his death in 1892.

The inscription above the organ bears the initials of the Duke and his wife and reads: "We leave thy voice to speak within these walls in years to come when ours are still."

The organ was the backdrop to several famous visits in its early years: on November 23, 1896, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) visited for a week and greatly enjoyed the organ, particularly Wagner opera transcriptions.

Three years later, the German Emperor visited Blenheim with the Prince of Wales and listened to a recital of Wagner and Handel.

He likened playing the organ to "steering a great battleship", and was so taken by the organist that he invited the latter to play in Berlin.

The four main wind reservoirs in the cellar below the organ were operated by three hydraulic engines, which took their water pressure from the lake in the park.

In 1902, it was decided to move the organ from its position in the bay window to the north end of the library, where it stands now.

During the First World War, the Long Library served as a convalescent hospital, and the organ was much used for the entertainment of the troops.

In addition to the recitals, visitors can also sponsor a pipe, ranging from £30 for a small treble pipe to £300 for one of the main 32ft-long pipes.