Recent Events

13th January 2024, our popular January Revels, in conjunction with Bedford Early Dance, at Brickhill Community Centre, Bedford.

Sadly, the quire had been struck by illness with insufficient members available to perform. No basses at all! The only time this has ever happened in our 20 year history. Whilst the quire’s contribution and singing spots were much missed an extended dance programme ensured the success of the event. Guests joined enthusiastically in the dancing for all and the demonstration team was hugely appreciated. The entertainment, based on Robinson Crusoe, the historical pantomime of the 1719 book by Daniel Defoe, was very much enjoyed, and the supper was once more declared delicious! Below right: the savage dance from the pantomime, Below left: Harlequin and Columbine.

Revels Dance Savage Dance

On Thursday 14th December 2023 we returned to The White Horse, 84 Newnham Ave, Bedford, MK41 9PX.

Our ever popular 'village carols'; not a performance, just singing and playing our West Gallery Christmas music for our own pleasure, uncostumed except for 21st century silly hats. This event is for ourselves, our friends, and anyone who pops in to join in or just listen. We love our music to be part of a living tradition as it is in many places in the north of England where it never died out.

The bank and Ken at the White Horse
Benedict, Roger Ken in hat
Linda, Wendy and Guests at the White Horse

Saturday 9th December 2023 at St Faith's Church & Community Centre, Barton Road, Hexton, SG5 3JL

We received the warmest of welcomes on our return visit to Hexton where we performed our first post-covid event in 2021.This time it was A Truly Traditional Christmas featuring the music with which the West Gallery bands celebrated, along with seasonal readings from literature of the period. Illness had caused the cancellation of our hosts' carol concert and we were happy to include some pieces, still known today, for our audience to sing with us which they did with gusto.

Bedford Gallery Quire at Hexton 2024

Once more, on Thursday 7th December, 2023, the quire performed at the popular St Paul's Christmas Tree Festival, Bedford

Bedford Gallery Quire at St Paul's

In 2003 Ken Baddley ran a one day West Gallery workshop in Bedford. It was so well received that participants wanted more and Bedford Gallery Quire was born. On Saturday 24th June at St Laurence Church, Diddington, St Neots, we celebrated our 20th anniversary with a workshop singing day including friends and guests from other quires. It was the most wonderful day of singing and playing some of the pieces which have become our favourites over the years. Even the weather smiled upon us for a lunchtime picnic in the sunshine. Pictures below and here

Diddington Inside view to West

Diddington inside view to east

Diddington lunchtime

14th January 2023 saw our popular January Revels, in conjunction with Bedford Early Dance, at Brickhill Community Centre, Bedford, another 'first since covid' event. This time we limited numbers as things were a bit of a squeeze at the previous one. As usual we enjoyed demonstration dances, quire singing and a variety of entertainment spots as well as a superb supper. More pictures

.Quire

The singing...

Dancers

...and the dancing. More pictures here

On Thursday 15th December 2022 we returned to The White Horse, 84 Newnham Ave, Bedford, MK41 9PX.

When our music disappeared from the churches the carols lived on in the north of England where they are still sung in public houses at Christmas today. We began this tradition in Bedford a few years ago and were pleased that, following the covid hiatus, we were able to resume this year. Our 'Village Carols' event is uncostumed and informal, bringing West Gallery music into the present day seasonal festivities.

The Band

White Horse

Saturday 10th December 2022 at St Mary's Church, Bletsoe MK44 1QD

We were delighted to be invited back to St Mary's to begin their Christmas season with our concert, A Truly Traditional Christmas. We sang and played the music with which the West Gallery bands celebrated the season, interspersed with readings from literature of the period as well as extracts from local historical records.

Bletsoe

Thursday, 1st December saw us back at St Paul's for the Christmas Tree Festival. We sang and played in the magical atmosphere among the Christmas Trees.

St Paul's Christmas Tree Festival

Tuesday 24th May 2022 at St Paul's Church, Bedford MK40 1SQ

We were delighted to be performing for St Paul's Tuesday lunchtime Concerts and Recitals Series.

St Paul's

St Paul's

Saturday 21st May 2022 at the Church of St Nicholas, High St, Wilden, Bedford MK44 2PB

A concert on the history of church music including stories about the people of Wilden and their church as part of its 800th anniversary celebrations.

On Saturday 30th April 2022 we performed for the Church of St Laurence, Diddington, St Neots, PE19 5XT.

For a select audience as generous with their refreshments as they were with their applause, we performed the music of their own counties, the historical Huntingdonshire which once included Diddington, and the more recent Cambridgeshire. The great Doctor Randall’s hymn tune ‘Cambridge’ resounded to the rafters with the help of violins, oboe, ophicleïde, and flageolet, as did a setting of Psalm One Hundred and Three by Mr. Michael Dabney, the Master of the Music for the Huntingdonshire Regiment of Militia during the nineteenth century. One of our younger guests took ‘audience participation’ to a new level, with his Puritan ‘Capotain’ hat, complete with a pheasant feather at a jaunty angle, while his older brother served us tea and cakes. How lovely to have had children in our concert audience!

Our First Post-pandemic Event...

...a Harvest Concert on 23rd October, 2021 for St Faith's Church & Community Centre, Barton Road, Hexton, SG5 3JL

A joyful concert for a very enthusiastic audience; they and we were delighted to take a step back to 'normality'. We helped to celebrate the harvest with vocal and instrumental music which would have been familiar to the people of Hexton during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

"Thank you, Ken and the whole Quire, everyone enjoyed the evening with very favourable comments on the music, the costumes and the whole presentation. I am sure that we would wish to repeat the whole evening in the future."

Tony Howells, Organiser

Concert

Bedford Gallery Quire

Quire

...and again

Warm Up

The Quire warming up

Audience

Some of our delightful audience