Henry Croswell et al. in St James' Church, Victoria Road, Holloway, Islington, London - 16 September, 1883, 11:00 AM
from Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell, page 350:
O[rgan]. – Large and old in the West Gallery. The organist was appointed in 1841.
H[ymns]. – Bickers, a popular selection. But one tune didn't go to the words.
C[hoir]. – Mackeson's Gide [sic] says that there is no choir. This is perhaps better than "all choir". The congregation joined in nicely.
[The congregation numbered] 1800
[…]
M[iscellaneous]. – It is a wonderful sight to see this huge building crowded, all forms and galleries etc. occupied. It is hardly like being in Church but still I enjoyed it all much.
Henry Croswell, Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell. In British Library, number 000826807, C.194.c.113 , p. 350. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1552914311226 accessed: 27 December, 2024 (By permission of the British Library.)
Listeners
Listening to
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| Date/Time | 16 September, 1883, 11:00 AM |
| Duration | 1 hours 50 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. ‘Bickers’ refers to ‘The Hymnal Companion to the Book of Common Prayer’ (1870, rev. 1877; and in a revised edition with tunes, 1890) compiled by Edward Henry Bickersteth (1825–1906). Charles Mackeson’s ‘A Guide to the Churches of London and its Suburbs’ was published annually during the late nineteenth century. It listed details about the clergy, organist and choir, services, style of churchmanship and music, architecture, etc. Croswell mentions the Guide in his records from 1881 onwards.