Musician Ursula Crickmay tries out the acoustics in the National Centre for Early Music, as builders, from left, Trevor Whimp, Mark Cregan and Gary Bean listen

The sound of silence is all neighbours will hear from the newly-built National Centre for Early Music in York, no matter how loud the instrument.

The centre, housed in the revamped St Margaret's Church, in Walmgate, boasts state-of-the-art soundproofing which means musicians can make as much noise as they want without disturbing those living or working nearby by even a decibel.

To prove how effective the newly-installed soundproofing is, musician Ursula Crickmay, who works at the centre, blasted out tunes on two noisy Renaissance wind instruments - a rauschpfeifer and a crumhorn - while builders from York contractors Simpson Construction, who worked on the project, strained their ears in the street outside but failed to catch even a whisper.

As part of the overall project, funded mainly by £1.5 million of lottery cash, the church's ancient roof was raised and dozens of acoustic panels were laid between the timber and the tiles.

Triple-glazed windows were also installed to turn the centre into a soundproofed box.

Ursula said: "The rauschpfeifer is a very noisy instrument, which is why I chose it for the job.

"The centre has great natural acoustics and it's good to know you don't have to worry about disturbing any of the neighbours."

Soundproofing experts from Arup Acoustics have also given their seal of approval to the system.

St Margaret's will be formally reopened as the home of the National Centre for Early Music by the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, on Friday, April 7.

Opening events include a Millennium of Sound Festival, involving local children, residents and musicians from across Britain.

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