Transcript: Mr Peter Granville-Smith recalls his family singing in the little Union Church Hoxton Park

Description

Peter Granville-Smith was born in 1910 and [media]interviewed in 1986 for the 'Looking Back at Liverpool: An Oral History of the Liverpool Region 1900 to 1960.' He came to live in Hoxton Park with his family in 1914 because his clergyman father was ill.

Transcript

PETER: Father had lost his voice, and he couldn't conduct services, but I understand he did conduct one on one occasion in the little Union Church at Hoxton Park, which he conducted it in a whisper. They tell me it was done so clearly [because] his diction and enunciation were perfect. But, he would attend the services in this little Union Church. There were four denominations came out there, they were: Church of England, Methodist, Presbyterian and Salvation Army. If there were five Sundays in a month the Church of England got that fifth Sunday as well. The little church was very small but when Granville-Smiths were in attendance on any service they filled the church not only with their figures but with their voices, because we were all pretty good musicians. The singing was absolutely outstanding, under the careful guidance of our sister Lois. She played the piano, and of course mother played the piano as well. And when we were all singing you'd know that the family was there, they were all in there. [1]

References

Catherine Johnson (ed). Looking Back at Liverpool: An Oral History of the Liverpool Region 1900–1960 (Liverpool: Liverpool City Council, 1986). http://mylibrary.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/Electronicbooks/Lookingbackatliverpoolanoralhistory-1900-1960.pdf

Notes