Every once-in-a-while, we are invited to a church with a really interesting history, and so it was, when were invited to visit Magdalen Chapel in Holloway, Bath in July of this year.
The church has a Viscount Prestige 80 which was installed around 25 years ago. It has given great service over that time but was needing money spent to keep it in working order.
Upgrading to the Ensign Compact 45
The church decided that it would be more beneficial to put the money towards a new instrument. Chapel Organist, Patrick Hutton visited our showroom in Bicester and selected a new 3-manual Ensign Compact 45 as the best instrument for the needs of the chapel.
It was installed with 2 external speakers for the manuals and a powered sub bass unit for the pedal division. The speakers replace units as old as the original Prestige 80 organ and were installed in the same places.
The Rich History of Magdalen Chapel
However, more interesting than the installation is the history of the chapel, which dates back to Norman times, built in the late 12th century and served an adjoining leper hospital. Both chapel and hospital were rebuilt by Bath Abbey’s Prior John Cantlow in around 1495 and with the decline of leprosy, the hospital’s role developed into the care of the mentally ill.
The origins of the Chapel are obscure. The earliest hard facts are that sometime between 1090 and 1100 a deed of gift was made by Walter Hosat, granting the Chapel of “the Blessed Mary Magdalene at Holeweye” to the Abbey Church of St Peter, Bath (now Bath Abbey); and that around the end of the twelfth century a small hospital for lepers was founded close to the Chapel and also consigned to the care of the Abbey’s monks.
Restored and extended in the 19th century, Magdalen Chapel passed to the care of the Trustees of Bath Municipal Charities in 1894. The chapel was bombed in 1942 and fell into a gradual state of disrepair. In the 1960’s it was saved from demolition by belonging (and still belonging to) the St John’s Hospital Foundation, an organisation who still do excellent work in Bath, providing housing and resources for vulnerable people.
We have permission to use these images, you can view the originals – http://www.bathheritagewatchdog.org/bathblitz/piche2110.htm
The story of ‘Holloway’
The road that runs past the chapel was the old pilgrim route from Bath to Wells. It thought Holloway derives not from Holy-way as most think, but from hollowed or rutted way from the ruts created by the heavy wagons on the muddy and wet road. It is also the reason for the raised pavement outside the chapel and up the street. People were able to alight from their horse-drawn carriages straight onto the pavement, preventing their clothing from getting muddy. There is also a horse drinking fountain opposite the chapel where a poor beast of burden was said to have expired pulling a coal wagon up the hill. There is a plaque with a poem immortalising this fact.
Upgrading your organ
If you’re interested in upgrading your church organ, get in touch with our showroom in Bicester. We can discuss what you need from your instrument and suggest the best options for you and your space.
I have played the church organ since the age of 11. I am organist at my local catholic church as well as accompanist for a small choral group and keyboard player in a function band. I am committed to ensuring Viscount customers get industry leading service and advice, resulting in the very best organ to suit their needs, be it church, school, home or concert hall.
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