Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.
Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
Since the age of 17 I have been organist at 5 different Methodist Churches. The first was Wollaston Methodist Church in Stourbridge, West Midlands. The organ was built by Wood-Wordsworth & Co of Leeds and was known as the "Cottage" model. It had originally been built for Christ Church primitive methodist church in Kinver, Staffordshire in the 1920s and installed at Wollaston in the new church building in 1961. The action was tubular pneumatic and had the following specification:
WOLLASTON METHODIST CHURCH, STOURBRIDGE
PEDAL
Bourdon
Octave Diapason
Bass Flute
Flute
GREAT
Open Diapason
Viol di Gamba
Hohl Flute
Flute
SWELL
Lieblich Gedact
Viol d' Orchestre
Wald Flute
Tremulant
Wollaston was part of the Stourbridge and Brierley Hill Methodist Circuit and I often helped out at the other churches including Wordsley, Brierley Hill, Bromley and Amblecote Methodist Churches. In the late 1990s, the organ became unreliable and so it was replaced by a Makin digital electronic instrument in 2002.
In 2001 I moved and became organist at Allens Rough Methodist Church in Willenhall, West Midlands. This organ is believed to be the very first built by the Hawkins firm of Lichfield (then of Walsall) in about 1926. The action was tracker with tubular pneumatic on the pedals. The specification read:
ALLENS ROUGH METHODIST CHURCH, WILLENHALL
PEDAL
Bourdon
Bass Flute
GREAT
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason & Clarabella
Dulciana
Principal
COUPLERS
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great
Swell Octave to Great
ACCESSORIES
2 composition pedals to great
2 composition pedals to swell
Allens Rough was part of the Bloxwich and Willenhall Methodist Circuit and as before I often helped out at the other churches in the circuit in particular at Essington Wood, Reedswood, New Invention and Lane Head Methodist Churches. Sadly Allens Rough closed in February 2005 but the organ is now in private ownership.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this circuit. In 2004 an opportunity came up to work at Nicholson's organ builders in Malvern but it meant reluctantly having to leave the Bloxwich and Willenhall Circuit. However, after moving to Worcester I became organist at Ombersley Road Methodist Church. The organ here is a single manual and pedal instrument located at the rear of the church. The action is tracker and has 7 stops as follows:
OMBERSLEY ROAD METHODIST CHURCH, WORCESTER
PEDAL
Bourdon
Manual to Pedal
MANUAL
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Dulciana
Principal
Flute
The organ at Ombersley Road was built by Nicholson's inprobably during the 1920s. Ombersley Road was in the Worcester Circuit and although I didnt travel about like I did in my 2 previous circuits, I was often to be found playing the Eminent digital organ at Bromyard Road Methodist Church - the other side of the Severn!
Worcester, as lovely as it was is not the cheapest of places to live and I also found out that working with something you have a passion for is not always a good thing. I therefore chose to leave Nicholson's and took a higher paid admin role.
Manchester is always a city I have loved and in 2005 the opportunity came to be transferred to there. This we did and I first became organist at St Mary's Methodist Church in Handforth where we are blessed with having Reverend Ruth Jackson as the minister.
St Mary's Methodist Church in Handforth has a most beautiful interior as the photgraph illustrates. The present organ here was built by Young & Sons and came second hand from a Congregational Church. The swell division has a most unusual specification with no 2ft but a Larigot 1.1/3! The action is tracker with electro-pneumatic to the pedal and the specification reads:
ST MARY'S METHODIST CHURCH, HANDFORTH
PEDAL
Bourdon
Bass Flute
GREAT
Open Diapason
Lieblich Gedact
Dulciana
Principal
Harmonic Flute
Fifteenth
SWELL
Open Diapason
Hohl Flute
Viol D' Orchestre
Voix Celeste
Gemshorn
Larigot
Cornopean
COUPLERS
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great
Swell Octave to Great
ACCESSORIES
2 composition pedals to great
2 composition pedals to swell
St Mary's is part of the Bramhall Methodist Circuit which contains some exceptionally large congregations including Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme Methodist Churches.
The organ is a delight to play and I gave my first full length recital here in August 2006.
In November 2008, we moved to the Swinton area of Manchester and I took the opportunity to become organist at Manchester Road Methodist Church in Swinton as it is much nearer enabling us to become involved with other aspects of the church. We were also inspired by a wide age range, lots of activities throughout the year and a good sunday school.
The organ I play here is another Young & Sons instrument with the following specification:
MANCHESTER ROAD METHODIST CHURCH, SWINTON, MANCHESTER
PEDAL
Bourdon
Bass Flute
GREAT
Open Diapason
Dulciana
Lieblich Gedact
Flauto Amabile
Principal
Harmonic Flute
SWELL
Open Diapason
Salicional
Hohl Flute
Voix Celeste
Gemshorn
Hautboy
COUPLERS
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell Sub Octave to Great
Swell Octave to Great
Swell to Great
ACCESSORIES
2 composition pedals to Great
2 composition pedals to Swell
In addition to these 5 instruments I have played in the region of 200 organs stretching from Coatbridge near Glasgow to Weymouth in Dorset for various events including weddings, funerals, flower festivals, concerts, church services or simply just for fun!
16'
8'
8'
4'
8'
8'
8'
4'
8'
8'
4'
The organ - 1998
Wollaston - 1998
16'
8'
8'
8'
8'
4'
8'
8'
8'
4'
8'
Me pictured at Allens Rough Methodist Church - 2001
16'
8'
8'
8'
4'
4'
Ombersley Road -2004
16'
8'
8'
8'
8'
4'
4'
2'
8'
8'
8'
8'
4'
1.1/3'
8'
Interior of St Mary's Methodist Church, Handforth - 2006
Exterior -2006
16'
8'
8'
8'
8'
8'
4'
4'
8'
8'
8'
8'
4'
8'
Manchester Road Methodist Church
Interior of Manchester Road Methodist Church - 2009
