Diary 7

Then more familiar territory; Tintern Abbey, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, LLanduddno, Monmouth, Tenby, and the first photo  I had seen of a car;  number plate L A 82. (E 14).

I was still working on Box E when the phone rang. I introduced myself, my project, and the connection with Stone. I got to the photograph part and the name Chambers, then stopped as the voice at the other end of the telephone took over.

“You mean our one-time organist Albert Chambers. It’s his collection. I think he donated it to the people of Kidderminster. I knew his daughter. She was in her eighties when I became vicar here at Stone in 1983.”

We talked at length. John Cox mentioned a brewer at Shenstone who was secretary of the church and lived until he was 106. His name was Bill Pratt. Rev. Cox said that Stone had few people living nearby, so got their membership from Kidderminster; from those who wanted to step up from St Georges.  Stone was more socially acceptable.

“Who was Eleanor?” I asked.

“His daughter was Elsie, so presumably his wife?”

That didn’t fit. “Born 1930?”

“Oh,was she? Ah, I’ll have to look that one up. You’ve caught me out. You know Albert Chambers was one of those people who just exemplified the Victorian spirit. He built a very large choir. He wrote out all musical parts. It must have taken him hours.