Henry Croswell et al. in St Dunstan's Church, Stepney, East End of London - 11 April, 1880, 07:10 PM
from Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell, page 199:
[Croswell notes that the service began at 6.30pm, but] We got there at 7.10
[…]
O[rgan]. – Restored in 1872, nicely played.
H[ymns]. – Mercer, but church tunes and hymns.
C[hoir]. – If any it was invisible. Few responded.
[The congregation numbered] 1400 […] The Pew-opener tried but couldn't find room for us three so we sat in the children's seats in the gallery. It was a grand collection of the lower middle class.
[…]
M[iscellaneous]. – It was grand to see a crowded church.
Henry Croswell, Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell. In British Library, number 000826807, C.194.c.113 , p. 199. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1550147375980 accessed: 27 December, 2024 (By permission of the British Library.)
Listeners
Listening to
hide composersExperience Information
| Date/Time | 11 April, 1880, 07:10 PM |
| Duration | 55 minutes |
| Medium | live |
| Listening Environment | in the company of others, indoors, in public |
Notes
Henry Croswell (1840–93) kept a record of his visits to churches in London over a period of more than twelve years (1872–85). He made methodical notes about the number of clergy, the churchmanship, the congregation, the sermon and the church architecture, as well as commenting on the music that he heard (the organ, the hymns and the choir). The above listening experience has been extracted from one of these records. William Mercer’s ‘The Church Psalter and Hymn Book’ (1854, enlarged, 1856; new edition, 1864; reprinted with Appendix, 1872) was one of the principal Church of England hymnals before the publication of ‘Hymns Ancient and Modern’. The music editor was John Goss.