September has been a stimulatingly varied month. Here are photographs of some of the most interesting days, ignoring all the organ visits I’ve made.
Early in the month we visited Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire. This beautiful house, begun in 1625 by George Sitwell, has been the home of the Sitwell family ever since and remains in their hands. Tours of the house reveal a remarkable abundance of artistic treasures, including many paintings by John Piper, and one can readily sense the presence of Edith Sitwell and of the regular visits by William Walton, who wrote his Façade suite to accompany Edith’s ‘entertainment’ of that name. Sumptuous gardens, too. No interior photography allowed (it is still very much a family house, with domestic items sharing space with art treasures), hence my having only this external image to show at the end of a delightful day. A visit / guided tour is highly recommended.
With the Friends of Southwell Cathedral we visited the extraordinary Stow Minster in Lincolnshire – a church which was actually the first cathedral there, before they built Lincoln. A selection of photographs show just how special it is and very much worth a pilgrimage.
On Saturday 27th, the Organ Club launched plans for 2026 – its Centenary Year – during a splendid day in the City of London. Starting by visiting St Botolph, Aldersgate, the only City church organ never visited by the Club before (where its Samuel Green case impressed us somewhat more than the ailing organ within), we moved to Cutlers’ Hall for a magnificent Luncheon, where Michael, Lord Berkeley, was the well-received speaker.
A leisurely walk took us to St Paul’s Cathedral nearby, where all the Evensong music was chosen with The Organ Club in mind, including works by former Vice Presidents, Herbert Howells and Sir George Thalben-Ball. A really memorable day, adroitly organised by President Jonathan Rennert, as are several significant events to look forward to in 2026 – the Centenary year itself.
Finally, a taster of what is to come at Gloucester Cathedral: this image shows the first new work inside the historic organ cases. It is the building-frame installed during September to take the Great and Solo divisions. In October the 16ft Open Wood and 32ft reed will be installed inside the north side of the Screen. The main installation will begin in January 2026.
