Our restored Organ plays for the first time!
Arriving at St John’s for our Coronation Service on Sunday 7th May, it was really rather wonderful to hear the organ for the first time since the end of December last year. While there is still some work to do, Richard Morgans, St John’s regular organist, was able to play the organ to help us all celebrate the coronation of King Charles III the previous day.
As already mentioned, the work on the organ started in early January. The Organ Project Steering Group had looked with some anxiety at the plethora of pipes and parts as they were laid out on the side aisles, with other more substantial pieces being taken by Organ Builders, JW Walker & Sons, to their workshop in Devizes for the detailed restoration work that needed to be undertaken.
But it was fascinating to see all this – such a rare opportunity to see inside our heritage instrument. And there was extraordinary beauty too in the parts and the pipes which, as Walkers began to reassemble it, took me by surprise.
Alongside final completion, the organ now needs a few weeks to ‘bed in’ and settle. We will then look forward to two wonderful organ concerts to be held on Sundays 25 June and 9 July respectively, to celebrate and launch our newly restored organ:
Philip Berg MVO, Master of the Music at The King’s Chapel of the Savoy on Sunday 25 June at 5 pm
Claudia Grinnell, Sub-Organist at Winchester Cathedral, on Sunday 9 July at 5 pm
These two events not only signify the completion of the conservation work on the organ, but they also mark the commencement of a programme of concerts, events, and activities to take place in St John’s over the next 6 months. These are designed to bring existing and new visitors of all ages into St John’s and to raise awareness and interest in its heritage.
Head to our events page to see details of our upcoming concerts and information about a range of other events.
None of this would have been possible without the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and its grant towards this exciting heritage project, with additional support from the Hampshire and the Island Historic Churches Trust, the Leathersellers’ Foundation, and generous private donors. This will not only ensure the conservation of our heritage instrument, but it will also deliver the associated inspiring and creative education and community programme.
