Rochdale Town Hall
On Saturday 22nd February a cheery audience listened to my afternoon recital on the grand J.J. Binns at Rochdale Town Hall. Not only Binns’s loudest organ, it’s arguably his finest, though having been for a time a Trustee of the Nottingham Albert Hall’s even larger Binns, I ought to whisper that.
Louth parish church
I made a DAC visit to Louth on 4th February. This and Boston ‘stump’ are the two great glories among Lincolnshire churches. The organs are fine, too: an H&H at Boston and a Forster & Andrews / HNB at Louth, which needs just a little restorative work. A very enjoyable day out.
The Compton cinema organ at Fentham Hall, Hampton in Arden, Solihull
Sunday 2nd February saw me attending a most enjoyable recital by Declan Poole on the 11-rank 1935 Compton cinema organ in Fentham Hall – at the Hampton-in-Arden end of Hampton Lane in Solihull, the road on which I lived as a teenager. Adroit and musical playing on a well-maintained instrument.
A Nicholson unit chest for Gloucester Cathedral
On January 22nd I made my monthly visit to the Nicholson organ works to inspect progress with the Gloucester Cathedral organ. All is going well with many pipes made and voiced. Unit chests under construction and this photograph shows the inside mechanism of one of them.
The 1894 T.C. Lewis organ at St James the Great, Cranham
On January 11th I played a demonstration recital on the little Lewis organ at Cranham, near Gloucester, beautifully restored by Daly Organs. The church was full – most unusual for an organ recital, but they may have been there more for the bubbly and nibbles after the recital than for the playing. The tiny village is famous for being the birthplace of Holst’s mother: hence his tune for ‘In the bleak midwinter’ being named ‘Cranham’.