Musical Notes

Way back in time, the months of June and July were musically filled periods in all the local churches. This was the season of ‘The Sermons’ on Sunday School Anniversaries. In this area each church had it’s appointed date fixed by tradition, year on year. Worral Independent Church, Storrs, Dungworth, Low Bradfield and Loxley Methodist and Loxley Congregational all took part in this outburst of Praise and Worship. Each in it’s turn would assemble it’s own forces and, re-inforced by a sort of itinerant augmented choir and orchestra, enjoyed a day of music and praise. These were great events in their calendar. Wadsley Methodist was also involved but ours was a moveable date always two weeks after Whitsunday (This was also the weekend when Farrar’s Fun Fair arrived on Studfield Hill - great fun). Many of these ‘sermons’ were staged in the open air which meant lots of praying for a fine day. Wadsley’s sermons took place on the Waterworks field across from the Chapel. This field was to become a Barrage Balloon site during the war, then a crescent of prefab bungalows then the Seven Fields Home and now a few bungalows and a closed home. Wadsley’s sermons became quite famous and when the Wisewood Estate was built in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the crowds who came to listen were really exceptional - so much so that, one year, the then new Wisewood bus route on Ben Lane and Hallowmoor Road was diverted along Dial House Road for the day. Looking back, some would say that the quality of music was not brilliant but it was very tuneful and acceptable to the listeners, who, at that time, had little to compare with, apart from the regular Sunday services.

There was no TV, the infant BBC wireless only had one programme, there were the shellac gramophone records and occasional visits to the theatre or the cinema. But make no mistake, these homespun events were very real to the participants who were genuine Christian people doing their best to spread the Gospel in the way they knew how. The fact that they drew great inspiration and enjoyment at the same time was a bonus. Where are the equivalent events today?

I apologise for these reminiscences but as the say, nostalgia is not what it was.

John Garrett