Members of the Coventry & Warwickshire Organists Association visited us on Saturday. After I finished a presentation about the history of the organ and the restoration/rebuilding project our visitors settled down to the main business of the afternoon – putting the organ through its paces!

It was a particular pleasure for me to listen to the organ from the body of the church for the first time. It really does sound terrific. The voicing has created a real blend, which has recreated the tone of a classic Hill organ of around 1900 – 1920 (the Nelson on which the organ is based was first built in 1915) – a real classic “English” tone.

Comments such as “brilliant” and “remarkable” were heard from several of the visitors. The afternoon finished with a super performance of Bonnet’s ‘Variations de Concert’, which really did show the organ at its best. Someone even timed the reverberation period in the church – just over 2 seconds, and everyone remarked on the church’s superb acoustic.