May 1st, 1848 (Monday)

Mr Swale went away, highly pleased with all he had seen, and is to come again before he leaves the neighbourhood of Oxford. Got the Chapel in readiness for the Evening. A splendid velvet arrived for the Altar, as the gold brocade does not tell in that position, and has therefore been hung by the Warden’s and Sub-Warden’s seats, where it looks very rich, and yet not gaudy at al. Cotton velvet of a good colour trimmed with handsome gold gimp, forms doubled curtains to protect the entrance through the screen. Above, rises the choir organ, projecting 3 feet, in an extremely beautiful case, and at the back, the great organ, with its great central tower, surmounted by a lofty pinnacle, the finial nearly touching the ridge-board. The whole front presents a fine mass of pipes, large and small, made of pure tin, without any mixture of alloy, and highly burnished, looking exactly like polished silver. The light strikes the ‘choir’ front brilliantly, but falls too low down on the ‘great’ case to show it to advantage; otherwise it would be a perfect blaze. I believe it is better that it should be so, for it might be too oppressive in so plain a building. At present, handsome, nay grand and magnificent though it be, it is not overpowering in the least.

The west end is really very fine, and we are all delighted with in. The two chairs, that I bought at Wright’s, are placed for Warden and Sub-Warden, and look very well. Monk has provided very handsome books for the altar, and also for my stall and the Sub-Warden’s, and candlesticks have been placed on the former. In the afternoon arrived a noble Eagle in brass, about which we had often made inquiries for years past. It is executed after the model of one presented by Lord John Manners to some church, the stand of which we considered to be inferior, and therefore would not have it. For the present it is placed on an oblong box, raised on ends, and covered wit crimson damask. It is very glorious indeed. While we were arranging this, the louvres had been fitted to the swell, and John Horan (Mr Telford’s apprentice) began to play. Such tones I never heard; rich, mellow, soft, delicate, deep, bright, sparkling, bold, grand, – everything. The dulciana is sometimes hardly audible, and the soft cornet is mot melting, ravishing. The hautboy is a wailing reed of great beauty, and the trumpet is superb, – But I cannot find time to say half what could be said. What between the organ and eagle, just at this moment attention was sadly distracted.

After all the labours of a hard day, I was sadly put out by the announcement that Messrs Coope and Blythe (organists of Christ Church and Magdalen) had come, with the intention of going to chapel, as they had heard that the organ was to be opened this evening. I confess I thought this as very cool, if not very impertinent, and as they mentioned Howard’s name, I begged of him to go to them and explain that the Chapel was quite private, that the organ was not near finished, and that there was to be no opening in the popular sense of the term, but that the members of the College were simply going in, quietly to say their prayers. However, they persisted and Howard then said that he must ask my leave, which would have been refused: but it did not come to this, for they perceived that they were not welcome, and retired saying that they would wait till the organ was quite finished. They were amazed by the size of it. “Oh, – look at the 16 foot reed”, “Why, this CCC is a thousand times bigger than mine.”

We all walked into chapel in procession, in surplices, – and after the bells had ceased to chime and toll, the organ struck up. About 60 wax candles made all look tolerably bright. Full choral service. This day twelvemonth we had not possession of Radley. What abundant cause for thankfulness is there in all this!