Sacred Heart returns

The parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Wimbledon celebrated the start of Advent with their return to the church building on Edge Hill.  Since the beginning of the year, they have been worshipping in the parish hall.  But they returned to the church—with its new floor — on November 27.  Restoration work is continuing, especially on Sacred Heart's historic organ which will be fully restored over the next couple of months.

The parish web site includes several galleries of photos of the restoration, including pictures of the floor of the nave being ripped up and, of course, how it looks now.

There is also a short video showing the main reservoirs (bellows) of the organ, some of the larger pipes being returned to the instrument, and various shots of the inner workings of the organ - plus the new floor, before it was covered with pews!

'The Sacred Heart is blessed with one of the finest parish church organs in the country,' says parish priest, Fr Keith McMillan SJ. 'It has enhanced the worship of our community for nearly a hundred years.  It dates from 1912 and is registered as an instrument of historic significance.  Besides its vital role in the liturgical life of the parish, it contributes to the musical life of the wider community through concerts and recitals.  But now, time has taken its toll and this remarkable organ is in need of full scale restoration.'

Bob Rathbone, Sacred Heart's Director of Music, writes:
'We have our organ because of the vision of Fr John Driscoll SJ.  He was choirmaster at the church for 40 years and ran a nationally famous choir.  He persuaded Fr Kerr, the Parish Priest in the 1900s, to erect a gallery for the choir, and using a generous donation from a parishioner, to commission J W Walker to build an organ on a lavish scale.'

Read more about the organ and the restoration on the Sacred Heart web site, which also includes details of their Christmas services.


 Sacred Hear Wimbledon