The remarkable organ that once graced Rye’s former Methodist church in Gun Garden lives on — but in different parts of the world.
The instrument’s triple-keyboard console has been purchased by the Catholic church, The Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden, home to a holy well and a religious statue known as the Black Madonna of Willesden. The site appears to date to the church of St Mary, as far back as 939, the year when Athelstan, England’s first king, died.
Other parts of the Rye organ — primarily the pipes — were sold to buyers in Germany, Poland, France and the UK a few months after the Methodist church was vacated in late September 2021. There were three sets of pipes in the Rye church: two on either side of the communion table and one above the main entrance door / porch.
Building, improving and playing the Methodist organ for many decades was a labour of love for former Adams of Rye owner, Clifford Foster, who died in 2020. Clifford also helped install the beautiful Wurlitzer now in Rye College.
It’s understood the original Methodist organ was sourced from an Anglican church in St Leonard’s and was installed in the old Methodist chapel in Rye. After this building was bombed in the Second World War, the instrument was transferred to the building that was used as a Sunday school and became the Methodist church in Gun Garden. Additional organ parts later came from many places.
A slim publication produced by the Rye Methodists to celebrate their 250th anniversary in 2006, said: “For a while, the old chapel stood derelict and unusable. However, inside it the organ was still serviceable . . . Clifford Foster was a boy at this time. He would take the opportunity to slip into the war-torn premises and play the organ. Passers-by heard ghostly music emanating from the damaged building, and tales of haunting soon began to circulate.”
The last person to play the Rye Methodists’ church organ was Anne Whiteman, a member of the congregation from Brede.
Rye Methodist Church is currently under offer but the bidder’s identity, and their plans for the site, have not been made public.
Image Credits: Marilyn Martin .
Just to clarify the article, I’m informed that the original organ was indeed transferred to the Methodist church from the bombed chapel after WW2, but Clifford Foster subsequently decided that the instrument was too small. Thus, starting from the 1960s and over many years, he put together and built the more substantial organ in the Methodist church in Church Square. This organ was the one eventually disassembled and sold after the church was vacated.