Brigg Blog has been contacted by a man living in the Netherlands who is trying to find information about a Methodist church organ which once provided music to accompany worship in our town. This Victorian organ is still in use.
We are hoping that some followers of our site may be able to assist him. If so, please contact us and we will forward on the details.
Having chanced upon Brigg Blog on the internet, he explains he's an organist who plays one built in 1875 by Forster & Andrews, from Hull.
This organ was originally built for the Oundle (UK) Congregational Church (order number 693) and has been in his church since 2005, in pretty much its original condition.
"After having tracked down almost all other instruments built by the same firm in 1875, I have now extended the scope of my search, with the ultimate aim to track down all organs built by them in the period 1843-1896 and to find out how many organs have the same original condition," he tells us.
"In 1876, Forster & Andrews built an organ for the Wesleyan Chapel, Bridge Street, in Brigg, with order number 696.
"In this respect I would be very grateful if you could help with one or more of the following items (see below). My search so far has not been very successful. Some sources mention the demolishing of the church; others imply that it is now a carpet store."
We have already sent the organist relevant early 1970s Bridge Street pictures (seen above) from our archive. They show the chapel which later housed a well-known Brigg carpet company that has since relocated to new premises on nearby Ancholme Way, and also another Methodist chapel which once stood on Bridge Street.
We think this might have been known in Brigg as the Bourne Methodist.
The early 1940s picture seen below (also from our archive) features the British Restaurant which stood on Elwes Street during the Second World War to provide meals for local residents and shows stallholders and helpers supporting what the caption called a Brigg Bourne Methodist Church bazaar.
Lastly, two questions of our own?
Was there have another chapel, decades ago, on Forrester Street, off Bridge Street?
Could the former Congregational Church on Wrawby Street (still standing, now used by an estate agent) be relevant to the storage of the organ in another Brigg church, as mentioned in the inquiry received from the Netherlands?
Brigg gained new Methodist and Roman Catholic churches on Barnard Avenue in the first half of the 1960s, while St John's (Church of England) had its own Victorian organ. So these would seem to be ruled out for storage, perhaps leaving only the Congregational which we think may have ceased holding services in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Could the old organ from Bridge Street have been taken there?
PICTURED ABOVE IN THE EARLY 1970s: What we think was known as the Bourne Methodist Chapel (far left on the main image) and (inset) the Congregational on Wrawby Street (next to Bowen's bakery shop) and the former Bridge Street church on the corner of Manley Gardens.
"In this respect I would be very grateful if you could help with one or more of the following items (see below). My search so far has not been very successful. Some sources mention the demolishing of the church; others imply that it is now a carpet store."
- Is there a picture of the (former) church?
- Is there a (black & white/colour) picture available of the organ in its original position?
- Was the organ perhaps removed in the 1960s and stored in another Brigg church?
We have already sent the organist relevant early 1970s Bridge Street pictures (seen above) from our archive. They show the chapel which later housed a well-known Brigg carpet company that has since relocated to new premises on nearby Ancholme Way, and also another Methodist chapel which once stood on Bridge Street.
We think this might have been known in Brigg as the Bourne Methodist.
The early 1940s picture seen below (also from our archive) features the British Restaurant which stood on Elwes Street during the Second World War to provide meals for local residents and shows stallholders and helpers supporting what the caption called a Brigg Bourne Methodist Church bazaar.
Lastly, two questions of our own?
Was there have another chapel, decades ago, on Forrester Street, off Bridge Street?
Could the former Congregational Church on Wrawby Street (still standing, now used by an estate agent) be relevant to the storage of the organ in another Brigg church, as mentioned in the inquiry received from the Netherlands?
Brigg gained new Methodist and Roman Catholic churches on Barnard Avenue in the first half of the 1960s, while St John's (Church of England) had its own Victorian organ. So these would seem to be ruled out for storage, perhaps leaving only the Congregational which we think may have ceased holding services in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Could the old organ from Bridge Street have been taken there?
PICTURED ABOVE IN THE EARLY 1970s: What we think was known as the Bourne Methodist Chapel (far left on the main image) and (inset) the Congregational on Wrawby Street (next to Bowen's bakery shop) and the former Bridge Street church on the corner of Manley Gardens.
IF YOU ENJOY VISITING THIS WEBSITE REGULARLY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION TOWARDS OUR COSTS. MUCH TIME AND EFFORT IS PUT INTO FINDING AND PROCESSING STORIES AND PHOTOS. IF YOU WANT TO DONATE, PLEASE SEND A CHEQUE, MADE PAYABLE TO NIGEL FISHER, TO 10 SPRINGFIELD ROAD, BRIGG, NORTH LINCS, DN20 8DD. PAYMENTS IN CASH ALSO WELCOME AT ANY TIME.
