Choir goes back in time for Christmas

The old Thatched Barn Chapel at Roxton has two events guaranteed to appeal to allcomers.

The Bedford Gallery Quire is performing a concert at 7.30pm on December 9 and the Action for Children Christmas Carol Service is at 3pm on Sunday December 17.

The Gallery Quire is a very talented group of singers which takes its audience back in time to the late 18th and early 19th century, when attending a church service was what everyone did on Sunday.

Hymn books were then no help to the bulk of an illiterate congregation so the Quire has recreated what was an essential part of most church services, the group of people in the community who could read and sang from the hymn books for the illiterate in the congregation to follow.

The Quire sing in the style of the time, dress in the costume of the time, representing a class, trade or profession, and their instruments are of the time, either recreated or renovated by the members of the Quire.

Between the songs they tell the audience about what in the society the costumes represent, or something about the instruments, creating a living picture of English society over 200 years ago.

It’s just £10 at the door on the night.

Light refreshments will be served during the interval and are included in the entry price.

Every penny earned from the Gallery Quire concert will go towards the estimated £155,000 needed for a complete renovation of the thatching of the chapel roof.

The carol service for Action for Children on the following weekend is one of the most important services Roxton chapel holds during the year.

Traditional carols will be sung at the service and all donations will go to this important charity.