New Notice Boards for GSC

Two new notice boards have been erected on the George Street elevation.

They replicate the original boards that used to hang on the wall.

New notice boards for George Street Chapel.

Manchester Eye Hospital

Manchester Eye Hospital is celebrating its 200th year looking after the sight of the people of Manchester. Their web site gives information about the history and development of the Eye Hospital which was started in 1814.

So, what connection is there between the Eye Hospital and George Street Chapel? Apart from the fact that they are almost built at the same time.

Well, one of the members of the chapel, Alice Dronsfield, was treated at the hospital in her old age, before 1886 when she died.

An obituary for Alice Dronsfield (1814-1886), published in the Independent Methodist Magazine and states that she had an operation at Manchester Eye Hospital and that she requested that the operation was carried out without anaesthetic.

About this time her eyes, always weak were attacked by disease, and she went to the Manchester Eye Hospital. With the injunction that chloroform should not be used she consented to an operation. “I committed myself,” she afterwards said, “in prayer to the care of God, asking Him to give me strength, and the doctor skill,” and she felt assurance that all would be well.

To celebrate the bicentenary of the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Mr Nicholas Jones, Consultant Ophthalmologist, has written its history. The book is entitled "Manchester Royal Eye Hospital 1814-2014: An Inside View". It is hardback, 294 pages and richly illustrated in colour and B&W. Details on the hospitals web site.

Mr Jones has said that she may have been given a local anaesthetic of cocaine to help with pain, but that chloroform at that time was usually given only to young fit people.

Rebuilding the Organ

The pipe organ was rebuilt in January 2014, but there was a lot more work to complete within the building after that. On 19th August we held a small choir practice with the Age UK Oldham Choir when the organ was played by Les Garner. The sound recording will be used in the introductory video to be shown to visitors, and it is used as the background music to video recorded of the pipe organ being rebuilt last January.

The choir sang two hymns, 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' and 'Breath on Me, Breath of God'
The tune to 'Breath on Me, Breath of God', Trentham, was composed by Robert Jackson organist at St Peters Church, Oldham. There is a portrait of Robert Jackson (1842-1914) in Gallery Oldham.

Video of Drone and George Street Interactors

A short video shot by Andrew Fielding, recording part of the filming carried out by Lisa Thomson at GSC for the Architectural Heritage Fund on 23 September, 2014. It features the George Street Interactors and a drone camera flown by Louis Carraz.

The film is to be used by the Architectural Heritage Fund to demonstrate the work carried out at the four buildings that received support from the first grants awarded by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Challenge Fund supported by English Heritage and the Architectural Heritage Fund.

Age UK Oldham received £100,000 from the fund to match fund the HLF grant, allowing our works to proceed.