Virginal Restored for High School Students Recital

10th December 2013

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A virginal, which was held at Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, has been restored for a recital of music composed by students from Lymm High School.

The recital was held on Thursday 5th December with Bernard Robinson playing compositions on the instrument which dates back from 1684.

The virginal, which is an early keyboard instrument similar to a harpsichord, will be displayed in Warrington Museum & Art Gallery’s new Heritage Lottery funded Cabinet of Curiosities gallery which opens in January 2014.

The instrument has been in Warrington’s collection for over one hundred years but has only been displayed on rare occasions. Now, it has been painstakingly restored at the studios of Malcolm Rose in Sussex and Vanessa Andrew in Birkenhead. The restoration has meant it could be played for the first time in over thirty years and its sound recorded, to bring it to life in the new gallery.

The students who wrote the compositions were inspired to write their own music after attending a recital at Tabley back in July. The project also aimed to give them hands-on experience of the instrument ahead of a programme of study.

The new compositions will be used in the new Cabinet of Curiosities gallery which opens on Friday 24 January 2014.

Janice Hayes, Manager of Warrington Museum & Art Gallery said:

“The restoration of the virginal has really benefited the students with their studies. We look forward to showcasing the instrument in the new Cabinet of Curiosities gallery in 2014”.

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