Roy Stewart- Christ Church Prestatyn choirboy 1920
104-year-old (in 2012) Roy Stewart from Prestatyn is sharing his memories from a lifetime of churchgoing with PCW. Born in nearby Rhyl in 1908, Roy Stewart was confirmed at Christ Church, Prestatyn, before the Church in Wales was even formed in 1920.
To coincide with this 100th birthday milestone, the church's archivist conducted an interview with Roy, where he shared memories of the church as the hub of the community. He recounted how the male choristers sat in the stalls in their cassocks and surpluses, while the women, plainly clothed, sat by the organ. He also remembered how the organ used to be powered by water and in freezing weather one of the choirboys had to pump the water by hand.
The church was a key part of Roy's childhood, having attended Prestatyn's Bastion Road church school where the headmaster was E. T. Williams - the organist and choirmaster of the parish church.