Behind the Bank of England is the Wren church of Saint Margaret Lothbury, another little gem of restrained English renaissance architecture.
Saint Margaret’s organ was built by George Pike England in 1801. Restored in 1984, it retains its original case and contains almost all of the original pipes. It is perhaps the most beautiful Baroque organ in London and its organist, Richard Townend, has presented more than a thousand concerts on this sonorous instrument.
Every Thursday there are concerts at lunchtime and this is the program we heard last Thursday September 9th.
It was a truly enthralling mixture of French, Italian and English pieces. During the interval Richard gave us a short lecture in his typically humorous and illuminating style in which he contrasted the three organ schools. Naturally the British school came out best and certainly the Boyce and Stanley voluntaries sounded particularly brilliant on the Georgian organ.
After over a year of plague which has closed the doors of so many churches and concert halls in the world the London organ festival is triumphantly returning. Again it will be again be possible to take refuge every lunchtime from the returning wear and tear of metropolitan life by listening to good music in churches, each of which is an intimate masterpiece. We shall certainly try to attend a few of the following concerts to be given at Saint Margaret Lothbury by international celebrities.
Angelic voices
within small immensities
envelop our heart.
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