Visiting and Research

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & THANKS

So many people and organisations have helped with this collection, in donating recordings, supplying invaluable information and answering queries, it would be impossible to name them all; so I extended a heartfelt thank you to all those who have contributed to the collection in any way.

The collection has benefited greatly from some major donations of archives recordings and for those I would like to thank the following - apologies if anyone has been overlooked.

Campaign for the Traditional Cathedral Choir who gave a generous financial donation towards maintaining the collection and again in 2010 gave a further generous donation toward to cost of replacing my reel-to-reel tape machine which had finally worn out. You can see this superb tape machine in its new home at the 'Song School' by clicking here.

Dr John Gregg of Magdalen College Oxford, who whilst an undergraduate recorded daily evensongs directed by Bernard Rose. The entire collection of tapes has been transcribed to CD.

Dr Peter Giles for his large collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of concerts, services and documentaries.

Rev. Jonathan Boston whilst a theological student at Ely recorded daily evensongs directed by Arthur Wills. The entire collection of tapes has been transcribed to CD.

Donald Bunce for allowing unstinting access to his vast archive of privately recorded reel-to-reel tapes of various choirs.

The Stanley Vann Collection

Donated by his son, Martyn, a vast collection of private 78rpm records, reel-to-reel tapes and LPs of Peterborough Cathedral choir, all of which have been transcribed to CD.

The Laura Serena James Collection

This hugely important collection of over 2000 recordings, comprising of 78rpm records, reel-to-reel and cassette tapes, LP's, CD's and Videos, consisted of rare private recordings and many early commercial recordings. So many treasures! and the Collection has now been catalogued.

Laura Serena James was born in Baltimore, April 10th 1922. Her father was a Bishop and her mother had trained to be an opera singer, so it is not surprising that Laura developed a taste for choral music at a very early age.

It was a lifelong passion that intensified when Laura moved to England in 1985. Already possessing a modest collection of 78rpm records, she began augmenting her collection on a massive scale. On her death in 2008, Laura's collection was bequeathed to my own collection and my grateful thanks go to her son for ensuring that his mother's wishes were carried out, together with the safe delivery from London of the recordings.

Christopher Morris III

A patron from the USA who gives a monthly donation towards the Collection which is much appreciated.

The Kelvin Redford Collection
1939-2008. Church Music played a huge role in Kelvin Redford's life. As a pupil at Durham School he loved singing and playing the organ in Durham Cathedral as well as being involved in the choir of Whitburn Parish Church, near Sunderland.

At Trinity College Dublin he was prominent in the Choral Society. He continued playing the organ at St. Bartholomew's Church in Dublin whilst choirmaster at the King's Hospital School.

From 1967-1998 he taught Modern Languages at Christ College in Brecon, where he played the Chapel organ and championed the cause of music and the arts generally. He was also a sub-organist at Brecon Cathedral for over 30 years.

From 1958 to the early 1970s he amassed a large collection of reel-to-reel tapes of church and classical music, some from radio broadcasts and some live, recorded on a huge 1958 Grundig machine which he took all over the UK and Ireland in his Mini.

This collection contains a wealth of historically valuable material and Kelvin's partner, Alison Hembrow, is delighted to donate the collection to a safe and appropriate home at 'In Quires and Places Where They Sing'
Notes by Alison Hembrow

Edward Carson
Special thanks must also go to my good friend and fellow collector, Edward Carson. His unstinting help with recordings of all types, including many reel-to-reel tapes of archive broadcasts, together with his vast knowledge which he shares freely, has made a major contribution to my Collection.

He has also allowed me to raid his collection of archive photographs, newspaper and magazine articles and other interesting library documents.

Unlike so many other collectors who hoard their treasures away in locked rooms, Ed believes that such treasures are to be shared and enjoyed.

Listening Post
Choir of Peterborough Cathedral directed by Stanley Vann Behold how good and joyful : Stanley Vann Solo treble, Keith Gibbs Private reel-to-reel tape recording : 1960