Music

If music be the food of love...

Music plays a very important part in many faiths. It allows us to share our feelings and emotions in ways that may otherwise not be expressed.

Music around the churches

St Mary's, Ashley has a pipe organ and a piano. Both are used on a regular basis.

St Mary's, Cheveley has a rather fine traditional nineteenth century Norman & Beard pipe organ, given by Miss Ellen Priscilla Bradley in 1874. Originally hand pumped (two enormous bellows), now electrically blown. A full repair and restoration of the pipes and keyboards took place in 2025.

The tower houses five bells; once rung in the traditional way by a team of ringers but, due to structural weakness in the tower, they have been converted to an Ellacombe board: a mechanism that uses hammers to strike stationary bells for change ringing and is rung by one person chiming. James Hadlow together with other volunteers are the main ringers.

The tower also houses a two-faced Turret clock, made by Messrs. Smith of Derby.  It was presented by Col. Henry McCalmont in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. 
Following a major upgrade in 2022, by the original makers, the mechanism is now fully automated alleviating the need to manually rewind every few days. 

All Saints, Kirtling has a modern Compton electronic organ.

St Mary's, Woodditton includes more modern songs and choruses in their worship, which are led by an electronic keyboard and guitar. There is a pipe organ available.