July/August 2025
The Estonia grand piano in St Swithun’s Church has an unusual history.
It was supplied new in 1982 by Morley’s of Lewisham, and its original owner, Richard Godfrey, enjoyed playing it and giving informal concerts at home. In 2010, when Richard and his wife decided to downsize, they considered living in France, and he moved the piano to a Normandy chateau.
“Sadly, plans did not turn out as expected and the piano became neglected,” says Richard. “The idea of giving it a new home back in the UK came to me when teaching an organ student in St Swithun’s. We arranged for it to be transported back, although getting it out of the chateau proved far more difficult than putting it in! I’m very grateful to St Swithun’s PCC and the West Dorset Singers for contributing to the costs.”
Following its arrival at St Swithun’s the piano has been a catalyst for change. In 2023, the church was allowed to take out some of the front pews and other furniture, transforming the space. The piano took centre stage in a new activity, where local people were encouraged to come and play; some did just that, while others simply wanted to listen while enjoying coffee and cake. This has now been running for a whole year and has attracted a loyal following.
“The exciting thing about Saturday Piano at St Swithun’s is you never know what music you might get,” says Charles Jullens, who runs the sessions. “There’s an amazing range of music and we try to generate a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.”
The piano has recently undergone a 15-hour overhaul by David Chitson of Weymouth Pianos. David says the biggest problem he found was moth damage to the felts, while the keys and the dampers also needed work to make the keys level and to regulate the dampers.
St Swithun’s is indebted to two generous sponsors for funding the piano’s renovation – Bridport Chamber Orchestra and Nantes solicitors. Churchwarden Mandi Sturrock says: “We are delighted to own this wonderful asset but we needed to find the money to keep it up to scratch for its increasing use by orchestras, choirs and our own piano days. The piano, its transportation and now its renovation have all been very generous gifts.”
The piano is now in tip-top condition and was used on 22 June by local pianist Duncan Honeybourne in a concert of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21 with Bridport Chamber Orchestra. Duncan says: “I was delighted to come to St Swithun’s to play. The church has a very personal connection: my great-grandmother, Mary Ann Ackerman, was born in Allington in 1873 and baptised here, and my family go back in Allington for generations. Some of them were very musical, too, so my coming to inaugurate the newly refurbished piano feels like a very intimate and appropriate homecoming!”
There is a concert by Allington Strings, featuring music from the British Isles, at St Swithun’s at 3pm on Sunday 29 June. And on the last weekend of September the grand piano will feature as part of a celebration of the arts – details in the September issue.