Daughter pays a visit to mother’s beloved church organ in Devon
The daughter of a local lady who played the same church organ for almost 60 years has paid the
instrument a visit in Widdicombe-in-the-Moor, Devon.
Joan Davies, nee Ottowell, is originally from Billy Row where she was born and bred and attended
the local Methodist chapel. Her mother, Edith, was the organist there and played the church organ
for over six decades, accompanying weddings, funerals, and all other services in the chapel.
Her relationship with the organ that she loved came to an end when she retired in 1986. She died
in West Lodge Home in the village in 1997, thankfully not witnessing the closure of the beloved
church she served for a lifetime.
Edith’s place at the organ was taken by another Billy Row lady – Christine Colling (nee Jewell) -who
accompanied services until the chapel closed in 2001 – the service being taken by Edith’s nephew,
Rev Harold Moore. The organ, which was built by the Nelsons of Durham and has a brass plaque to
that effect near to the top manual, had been installed in the chapel in 1918. Edith played it for most
of its time in Billy Row.
The chapel was sold as a private dwelling after closure but the organ was saved and kept at the
home of Sue Amos who lived in the village. Martin Renshaw, a man who rescues pipe organs,
contacted Sue and he took over its control, lending it it to Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford for six
months, which turned into five years!
In 2024, Mike, the organist at Widecombe, contacted Martin and arranged for the organ to be
taken to St. Pancras, Widdecombe in the Moor. In November 2024, they held a special inaugural
concert in Widdecombe .and one of the organists was from Christ Church. He told Mike that the Billy
Row organ organ sounded much better in Devon than it ever did in Oxford because of the more
superior acoustics. Money had been raised in Widecombe to bring it there with most of it being
bequeathed by Mike’s late father-in-law, Dr Tim Gimlette, a pioneer of Nuclear Medicine.
And it was to Devon that Joan and her husband, Neil, travelled to visit the church – and especially
the organ – where her mother’s photograph is displayed.
Joan said, “My mother was a brilliant organist and mostly without formal training; she could play
by ear but also from sheet music handed to her by soloists just before they performed! They all said
how good she was and how she always accompanied them with deep emotion.”
Joan took along her mother’s sheet music copy of Edward Elgar’s ‘Chanson de Matin’, which was
her favourite piece, to leave with the organ and she also played it on the organ in Edith’s memory.
“It was her favourite organ solo and she played it numerous times at different events and services.
I wanted to leave my mother’s copy of this music with the organ she played and loved in memory of
her,” said Joan.
Joan and Neil are both former pupils of Wolsingham Grammar School and met there. They both
became teachers but are long retired. Their pilgrimage to Devon in search of the organ was very
successful and satisfying – Edith would have loved to be there to play it one last time – and Joan did
that for her, being a musician herself. Neil is also a locally renowned musician not only playing and
teaching but conducting bands too. He was taught to play the cornet by his father, a member of the
congregation at Crook’s Salvation Army church and in 2022, Neil was presented with an award by
the Durham Brass Band Association for 70 years of service playing and conducting bands.
The couple enjoyed their visit to Devon – certainly a pilgrimage, in memory of Edith’s outstanding
contribution to the Methodist movement.
