Author: Paul

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.

We visited beautiful Audley End on our way back from Canterbury, where I had given a speech at the Kent County Organists’ Association Annual Lunch.  I joined the KCOA precisely 50 years ago when I started as Assistant Director of Music at Tonbridge School.  Happy days!

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 27^th, 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.

August has been notable for the number of beautiful buildings life has taken me to.  Recitals, organ surveys and the annual Diocesan Organ Advisers’ conference have taken place in these wonderful buildings.  What a privilege it is to work in this field?  I never cease to take joy and inspiration from the settings in which I work.  Enjoy the August images.

This month, two recitals stood out for me: a return visit to the grand old Binns in the Albert Hall, Nottingham and a chance to demonstrate the wonderful Tickell organ in Manchester Cathedral, which stands as a more than worthy tribute to its designer, Ken Tickell, whose sudden death before construction had even started was a great shock to the organ world – and a great impoverishment, too.

On 16^th July I made my first visit to Pontypridd, where one the town’s beautiful chapels has been very sensitively turned into a museum.  The Conacher organ is loved and there is a determination to refurbish it; hence my visit.  It’s a handsome piece of work, well worth a photo here.

One of my most enjoyable days in July was revisiting the famous Cavaillé-Coll organ in Warrington’s Parr Hall, on Monday 14th.  I had the very welcome chance to climb around inside as so could take photos, a few of which it is a pleasure to share here.  The organ still plays pretty well, but is not often used and in need of some t.l.c.

June was dominated by the final planning and execution of a 5-day tour of some of the fine organs of Norfolk.  I took some 45 members of The Organ Club to play twenty organs (averaging 4 per day) from June 10th-14th, ending up with a memorable Norwich visit to St Peter Mancroft and the Cathedral.  All went well and a happy crowd of Organ Club members knew far more about Norman & Beard (of Norwich) instruments at the end of the week than they did at the start!  Here is a selection of photos showing all the venues we visited.

My monthly inspection visit of progress on the new Gloucester Cathedral organ at Nicholsons always takes place in the last week of the month.  The first photo shows some beautiful 17th century front pipes, their previously hacked-about backs skilfully filled with matching medal and then slotted and tuned.

The ranks not placed on slider soundboards will go on unit chests.  Smaller pipes will be on Roosevelt chests (a small pneumatic motor with disc pallet attached, exhausted by a chest magnet), the larger ones on pouch chests (or ‘purse’ chests), the leather purse/pouch being exhausted by a compound magnet and then drawing down a disc pallet at the head of a phosphor-bronze stem running through a register and held off with a coil spring.  Both are fast and reliable actions, giving good speech.

The new Great Organ has two divisions, one facing east into the Quire, the other – the Grand Great – facing West down the Nave.  The generous scale of this Grand Open Diapason is evident in the photo; it, and the chorus it supports, will have no difficulty in singing boldly all the way to the West door.

On May 10th Anne and I spent a delightful day back at my old college – New College Oxford.

The gardens and grounds were looking as beautiful as ever.

It’s an annual event for donors (I’m giving them my organ book library) which always features a splendid lunch, a concert in Chapel, an exhibition of College treasures and manuscripts and a fine tea.

The day ends – of course – with Choral Evensong.  The choir was on typically fine form.

May has been a pleasant, well-balanced month of playing, advising and social times.

On May 9th I gave the opening recital – to a pleasantly full church – at St Andrew’s Church, Orwell (near Cambridge).  This was a clever electrification and rebuilding of a pretty ropy old tracker organ, designed by Canon Christopher Ivory and very neatly executed by Cousans Organs (these days based not at Lincoln but in Coalville, Leicestershire).

All sounded fine in the spacious village church and the digital basses (added owing to lack of room for any open 16ft stops) blended seamlessly with the pipes.  The reception afterwards wasn’t bad either.

I was pleased to be invited back to play at Tamworth on April 9th, whose fine pneumatic-action Harrison & Harrison (impeccably restored by Willis in recent years) packs a real punch down the church  It was a Lent/Passiontide programme, so a good opportunity to enjoy the wealth of softer colours this organ has.  Another enjoyable recital this month was at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, whose grand Hill / H&H is a total joy to play, the 32fts purring either side of the player.