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Music at St Peter ad Vincula |
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The new Organ Case |
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Following WW2 bombing, a new west end organ was installed at the time of the church’s rebuilding works. The original plan was to enclose this new organ in a gothic-style organ case, as found in many English cathedrals and parish churches. This, however, never came to fruition, as funds for the church re-building and restoration works were not sufficient to meet the additional costs involved.
It is wonderful, therefore, that an organ case has at last been installed at St Peter's. This is the result of a hugely generous offer from Andrew Beckwith, woodcarver, to design and carve the panels for the organ case as a gift to the church. The Beckwith family are well known in Coggeshall – Andrew has himself provided carved peal boards at St Peter’s, and his grandfather, also a master woodcarver, has provided work for our church in years past.
Andrew's design for the organ case mirrors the East Window at St Peter's. The grape and leaf carving is a reminder of John's gospel, chapter 15 ('I am the vine, you are the branches') and of the fruit of the vine in the Eucharist. The painted shields depict St Peter (keys), St Nicholas (gold bags) - the gatehouse chapel to the former Coggeshall Abbey is dedicated to St Nicholas - and the final one is a reminder of our link with the community of Coggeshall. The additional shields on the south side are of the MacKay and Larcom families, who assisted with a substantial contribution to the cost of this magnificent addition to St Peter's. Work on the building of the case was undertaken by The Village Workshop, well-established Organ Builders near Great Dunmow. The pipe decoration and gilding was designed and undertaken by Martin Huggett of Manningtree. Below are some pictures, from Andrew Beckwith's workshop, of carving work in progress, including shots of Andrew with his colleague Bob Young at work, and of the installation in progress in the church. St Peter's organ fund still needs your help, as the instrument restoration and improvement scheme still needs to be undertaken. Donations can be given to Roger Tattersfield.
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Choir practice before a Flower Festival service __________________________________________________________________
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