A FORMER director of music at a church in Bridport and stonemason at Canterbury Cathedral has died aged 88.

Peter Jezard was the director of music at St Mary's Church in Bridport from 2001 to 2015.

Born in 1933 and originally from Kent, Mr Jezard was a promising musician even at the tender age of six when he joined a church choir, and at the age of 12 was playing the organ.

His friend Barry Gibbs said: "His other skill was stone masonry and his carvings are still to be seen at Canterbury Cathedral.

"He studied with Dr Sidney Nicolson at Sandwich and St George’s Chapel, Windsor and became the first organ scholar at Christ Church College, in Canterbury, where he helped set up the music department.

"At Canterbury Cathedral he made his debut as a recitalist.

"In the following years he taught music at schools and at RSCM courses, trained church choirs, held Director of Music posts at churches in Hampshire, Kent, Wiltshire, Cornwall and Bath.

"He founded the Chippenham Cantata and in Bridport was director of the New Elizabethan Singers.

"Peter was a prolific composer with enough material to fill 186 pages of a book published at St Mary’s Parish Church Bridport in 2014 to mark his 80th birthday.

"This included a Fantasia for organ to mark Lieutenant Laponetiere stopping off in Bridport en-route to London with news of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

"He had a wry sense of humour that never failed to induce laughter in others and he had a conviction that Christian music should be exemplified by beauty, mystery and intelligence."

As well as composing service settings and tunes for hymns with his characteristic organ introductions and interludes, Mr Gibbs said he was the author of the words for many hymns, including a trilogy for three west Dorset rivers: the Brit, Asker and Symene.

Mr Gibbs added: " His former choristers will remember his practices when he encouraged their efforts by saying 'that was almost musical'."

In retirement, he lived in Poundbury and worshipped at St Mary’s Church, Dorchester.