Today began with a DAC visit to
Thaxted where
Gustav Holst wrote much of
'The Planets' Suite and ended at
Chelmsford Cathedral beneath
Luke Jerram's
Mars: War & Peace installation, a reminder of
'Mars, Bringer of War' from 'The Planets' Suite. Beneath the Mars installation,
Francis Spufford gave a lecture entitled 'War (What Is It Good For?)'.
Gustav Holst first visited Thaxted in 1913 when on a walking holiday in north-west Essex. He decided he must return. The next year he and his wife rented a cottage in Monk Street, a small hamlet south of Thaxted. It was here that he composed much of his suite “The Planets.”
Conrad Noel, the vicar of Thaxted, and Holst soon became friends with Holst taking a great interest in the church choir. In 1916 Gustav organised a Whitsun Festival in the church. He taught music at Saint Paul’s Girls School, James Allen’s Girls School and was Director of Music at Morley College and some students from all those institutions came to Thaxted to be part of the festival. The Festival in this form was repeated in 1917 and 1918.
In 1917 the family moved into Thaxted to live in “The Steps”, 19 Town Street. A blue plaque is beside the front door. In those days it was a quiet place to work. Holst wrote several pieces specially for Thaxted including “Tomorrow shall be my dancing day.”
The Whitsuntide festival ceased after 1918. Holst was abroad for much of the year working for the YMCA, undertaking the role of Musical Organiser for troops of the Army of the Black Sea. From 1920 the Whitsuntide Festivals continued in various London Churches, Canterbury Cathedral and finally Chichester Cathedral. Yet, in Thaxted the tradition of great music in the church continued. Many nationally famous orchestras and musicians came to play. Eventually a music festival in the months of June and July was restarted in 1980 and flourishes still today as the
Thaxted Festival Foundation.
Holst continued to take an important part in the music in the Parish Church in many ways. This included playing the Lincoln organ which has now been restored.
After a head-injury in February 1923, Holst began to show the signs of overwork and, on strict medical advice, retired back to his beloved Thaxted for a long holiday, spending only one day a week in London. He continued to be involved with the Parish Church and its choir up until 1925 when he left Thaxted to live in at Brook End, a large Elizabethan house, some distance from Thaxted.
Thaxted Church is one of the grandest in the county of Essex, 183 feet long and 87 feet wide, and so beautiful that it may well claim to be the Cathedral of Essex. The Church stands on a hill and dominates the town. From whichever direction the visitor approaches, the splendid spire can be seen many miles away. It has been described as the finest parish church in the country, and has both beauty and grandeur.
The building began in 1340, and its growth continued through our great building centuries till the Reformation, and the result is a proud example of English architecture. It was completed in 1510. Perfect balance is achieved with the aisles and transepts, chapels and the two porches, the King's and the Duke's, for Edward the Fourth gave the one with his arms on it (North porch), and Lionel, Duke of Clarence gave the other marked with his coronet (South porch). Both porches are vaulted, and both have a spiral stair leading to a room above and ending in a turret. The Church was built in the form of a cathedral, with a fine crossing between the main body and the chancel. The hexagonal pulpit, with canopy and ogee-shaped base, dates from c.1680. The roof is early 16th century and comprises six bays.
The chancel is flanked by two side chapels. The left or North side is dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury, and is generally called 'the Becket chapel'. The right or South side is dedicated to Jesus' mother, Mary, and his maternal grandmother, Ann. Formally known as the chapel of 'Our Lady and Our Lady Anne, it is generally called 'the Lady chapel'.
The chapel in the south transept is dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, who was condemned to death in 800AD nailed to a cart wheel. This area is now used as the Vestry but the statue to St Catherine can still be seen above the screen. The chapel in the north transept is dedicated to St Laurence, deacon of Rome, but has also been known as Trinity Aisle, and the Singers' Chapel. Since 1858 the chapel has been the home of the Lincoln Organ.
There are three organs: the largest was built by Henry Lincoln in 1820 and came here from St John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London, in 1858. The smallest 'Conrad Noel Memorial Organ' beneath the tower arch was built in 1952 by Cedric Arnold with money raised on the death of the late Fr Conrad Noel, vicar of Thaxted 1910-42. The Thaxted Music Festival has a Makin electronic organ which is located in front of the Tower and is used by the church for most of its music.
The organ built by Henry Lincoln around 1820 was rarely played due to its failing condition and its need of restoration. It was originally built for St. John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London but moved to Thaxted in 1858, and was in active use here until the 1960s. Over the 150 years in Thaxted, the instrument was not repaired or altered. The Organ was finally restored fully in 2013/2014 and returned to its place in the church during 2014. It will become an important musical resource for scholars around the country.
I was glad to see that a new and improved location has been found for their painting by
Stanley Clifford-Smith, the most mystical of the
Great Bardfield artists.
Clifford-Smith was an active member of the Great Bardfield Artists community during the mid to late 1950s and became the Honorary Secretary of the group. Clifford-Smith and the other Bardfield artists exhibited in the large 'open house' shows in the rural village in 1954, 1955 and 1958 as well as several one-off exhibitions and touring shows in the late 1950s. These exhibitions attracted thousands of visitors and made the art community famous thanks to press, radio and TV coverage.
Clifford-Smith's work in the 1950s was diverse and included Irish and Italian landscapes, images of ships, as well as hypnotic 'mother and child' portraits. He received many positive press reviews for his work while at Great Bardfield. In 1958 he moved to the Old Bakehouse in Great Bardfield with his family., and during the late 1950s he began to teach art in Cambridge. In the early 1960s the Great Bardfield art community fragmented and Clifford-Smith and his family (which now included four sons) moved to Little Baddow Hall near Chelmsford. During his time at Little Baddow he painted mainly thickly textured monochrome moon portraits, works inspired by the 1960s interest in space.
Following his death, several exhibitions were organised; a retrospective at the Minories, Colchester (1969), Little Baddow Hall Arts Centre (1979) and at the Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden (1998). His work is included in several collections including the University of Cambridge, Benjamin Britten Foundation, Aldeburgh, Suffolk; the Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend, Essex; and Thaxted Church, Essex.
Another interesting work that I saw for the first time today as part of the DAC tour was 'The Vine Window' by
Lewis Foreman Day, which is at
St Mary's Great Dunmow. This window, which was designed by Day, was made by Walter Pearce in 1909. The window shows Christ the King in rich robes against a background of vines and grapes growing out of a green vase. Nine cherubs surround the head of Christ.
Mars:War & Peace is at Chelmsford Cathedral from 21 October – 12 November 2025. This incredible artwork, suspended from the Nave, follows the success of Gaia in 2022, which drew record numbers to the Cathedral. Crafted from detailed NASA imagery, Jerram’s artwork measures six metres in diameter with every valley, crater, volcano and mountain laid bare for inspection on the Martian surface. But this isn’t just an art exhibition; it’s a conversation. It’s a call to contemplate our place in the universe and our responsibilities to each other on Earth. Tonight, Francis Spufford assisted us in that conversation by reflecting on understandings of the Just War Theory drawn from the Christian tradition.
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