“Welcome Home to the Croft Organ”
St Andrew’s on-the -Terrace, Wellington
This major organ restoration project for SIOC has drawn to a close now, and was celebrated with a great ‘Welcome Home to the Croft Organ’ fun variety concert on 2 May 2021. John and Val Hargraves were there, along with SIOC staff members Paul Rosoman and Bryan Jones. John and Paul were both part of the programme which featured the organ in many of its possible colours and styles, along with other organists who all had had a connection with the organ. The sell-out crowd heard it in full splendour with timpani, drums, brass, piano, vocals, from Gershwin to Hakim, from ABBA to Handel, transcriptions of TV themes, reflective, loud, and we loved it all.
A special guest speaker was Professor Jack Croft Richards, who presented a little Croft history. Jack is a grandson of George Croft (founder of the Croft organ-building company) and a nephew of William (Bill) Croft who was leading the Croft company when it built and installed the St. Andrew’s on the Terrace organ in 1962. John Hargraves followed this with the progression of his involvement with the organ at a personal level at that time, leading to his professional involvement in 1987 when SIOC became its custodian.
by Val Hargraves