Me playing the beautiful 3 manual Binns, Fitton and Haley organ at Queen Street Methodist Central Hall in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Unusual for a church instrument, the organ features a percussion stop called a "Celesta" and so I chose the old childrens song "Oranges and lemons" to demonstrate this.
St John's Methodist Church in Bloxwich, West Midlands was the result of Wesley, Pinfold and New Street Methodist Churches merging in the mid 1960s. The organ was built and installed here by Nelson & Co of Durham. The bulk of the pipework is from the old Pinfold Methodist Church instrument and a couple of the pedal stops from the Wesley church. The pipework is on a plinth at the rear of the church and the console at the front left of the communion area. Parts of the console is from a Compton theatre organ and was originally stopkeys in horseshoe layout. In 1975 the organ was overhauled by Henry Groves of Nottingham. In 2003, it was rebuilt by John Lloyd of Bilston and some tonal alterations were made including the addition of a powerful "Tuba en Chamade" stop on the choir division. The console was also rebuilt and drawstops fitted in place of the stopkeys. In this video I am playing Handels "March from Scipio" which gives the general idea of what the organ sounds like.
Me at the organ at Short Heath Methodist Church in Willenhall, West Midlands. The organ is a 2 manual (keyboard) instrument that was originally built by Nicholson & Lord of Walsall for Walsall Street Methodist Church, Willenhall. It was removed from there when that church closed in 1964 and reinstalled here. Im playing the wartime ballad "That lovely weekend" as originally sung by one of my favourite all time singers - Dame Vera Lynn!
Walt Disney on the church pipe organ!!! Me playing "Whistle while you work" from "Snow white and the seven dwarfs" on the 2 manual Hawkins pipe organ at Essington Wood Methodist Church near Bloxwich, West Midlands.
Me at the 2 manual Nicholson and Lord organ at Reedswood Methodist Church in Walsall, West Midlands. Im giving this little instrument the theatre organ treatment with "Peanut vendor". Reedswood was one of the churches in the former Bloxwich and Willenhall Circuit that I used to play at in the evenings when I was organist at Allens Rough Methodist Church, Willenhall.
Another of the churches I used to help out at in the evenings in the Bloxwich and Willenhall circuit was Lane Head Methodist Church in Willenhall, West Midlands. The organ here was originally built by Henry Hewins for a Methodist Church in Halesowen. It came here in the 1980s where it replaced an electronic! Im in classical mode here playing Handels "Art thou troubled" from Rodelinda giving an opportunity to demonstrate some of the smooth sounds on the organ.
Me playing the tune "Do you know the way to San Jose" on the 3 manual organ at Chapel Street Methodist Church in Penzance, Cornwall. This instrument is the result of combining the small previous organ here with that originally installed at nearby St John's Hall in the 1950s. The organ is the largest in Cornwall and one of the largest to be found in a British Methodist Church.
Penzance has some beautiful chapels and one of these is High Street Methodist Church. Here I am playing the hymn "Christ is alive, let christians sing" to the tune "Truro" on the 2 manual Norman & Beard pipe organ - very apt being in Cornwall!
Me playing the 2 manual Peter Conacher & Co pipe organ at Richmond Methodist Church in Penzance, Cornwall. Im playing the hymn "City of God" to the aptly named tune "Richmond". The organ features a beautiful Trumpet stop which I use in the 3rd verse.
Me at Centenary Methodist Church in Newlyn, near Penzance, Cornwall playing the hymn "Just as I am". The present church was built in 1928 and the organ was built by Hele & Co.
Me on the organ at the beautiful Mousehole Methodist Church just outside Penzance, Cornwall. Im playing "If" which demonstrates the soft sounds on this fine organ. Mousehole (pronounced "Mouzel") is a very picturesque seaside village and well worth a visit! The organ here was originally built by Heard & Co of Truro in about 1903 and rebuilt in the 1940s by Hele & Co. It was overhauled in the 1980s by Lance Foy and electric action installed.
