Rev Andrew Freeman - Priest, Photographer, Scholar

Dr James Berrow writes:

Readers of the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub newsletter may be interested to know that the County Archive and, particularly the diocesan records, were an invaluable source in the preparation of a substantial volume (308 pages hardback) on the life and work of the Reverend Andrew Freeman (1876-1947). For many years he was the incumbent of Standish with Hardwicke, in the county. As well as his duties as a parish priest, he was a revered historian of the pipe organ and achieved international attention as a photographer of organ cases. His invaluable notebooks and collection of glass negatives is now in the care of the British Organ Archive, housed in the Cadbury Research Library of the University of Birmingham. The digitised photographs (many of Gloucestershire subjects) can be accessed online by pasting this link into your browser:

http://calmview.bham.ac.uk/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=XFreeman

Anyone interested in knowing more about his significant research and contribution to the subject, along with 234 full-page reproductions of his photographs, can purchase In Search of Organs, Andrew Freeman: priest, photographer and scholar, for £35.

To obtain a copy visit the website of the British Institute of Organ Studies at: http://www.bios.org.uk/index.php