LEIGHMEMORIALUNITING

As rebuilt by Peter D.G. Jewkes Pty Ltd, 2000 2m., 27 sp.st., electric

Historical and Technical Documentation by Kelvin Hastie
© OHTA 2005 (last updated October 2005)

Leigh Memorial Church stands on one of the most important national sites for the Methodist Church of Australasia and is named after the first Methodist minister, The Revd Samuel Leigh, who arrived in 1815. [1] As early as 1791 a small band of Wesleyan Methodists had met privately in the district for prayer and religious discussion, but it was not until 1821 that a chapel was opened in Parramatta. In 1839 a larger building was erected in its place and this later served as a hall, surviving into the 20th century. [2]

In 1883 a tender was circulated for the design of the present church, “to have a spire, organ chamber, galleries and two vestries”. The walls were specified to be of brick and stone, the fittings of kauri and the size to accommodate 650 persons. The total cost was not to exceed £5,000. [3] In 1905 the building was modified under the supervision of Messrs. D. Macrae & Son, of Redfern, the cost being covered by prominent Methodist layman, The Hon. Ebenezer Vickery, MLC. During this work the galleries were lowered by four feet, a false ceiling was installed and the organ gallery was made to project into the building by three feet.

The organ was built in 1878 by William Davidson, of Pyrmont, to the design of Frederick Morley. Originally installed in the chapel of 1839, it was notably advanced for the period, insofar as it possessed a very early local example of a radiating and concave pedalboard. [4] The organ was very similar in appearance to other Davidson instruments at Stanmore (1875), Cobbitty (1876) and Yass (1876) and its manual specification was the same as that which survives at St James’ Morpeth (1877), to be inspected later in the conference. [5]

The proceeds of a choir competition were put towards the enlargement of the organ, probably carried out by Charles Richardson, or even Davidson himself, at the time of the building alterations of 1905. [6] The organ was rebuilt again by S.T. Noad & Son, of Sydney, in 1961. Substantial in nature, this work involved the retention of only the case and pipework of the Davidson organ, with Noad providing a Swell-above-Great layout, with pipes planted on the firm’s customary electro-pneumatic ventil chests. With the passage of time and the consequent deteriorating condition of the action, the church invited Kelvin Hastie to report on the organ in April 1989 and again in September 1995. While he initially recommended that new slider chests and mechanical action be provided, the cost of this could not be met by the church, which was only able to fund the cost of refurbishing the existing instrument. [7]

A contract was let to Peter D.G. Jewkes Pty Ltd in 1999 and in the following year the firm completed work to revise the specification, provide a new solid-state switching system (by A.J. and L. Taylor of England), improve the winding system through the addition of two new concussion bellows, rebuild the console, carry out pipe repairs and to provide a new Trumpet stop in place of the damaged Cornopean. (As the Noad console stopkeys were retained, the Trumpet is labelled “Cornopean”).

William Davidson 1878, Charles Richardson 1905, S.T. Noad & Son 1961,

As rebuilt by Peter D.G. Jewkes Pty Ltd, 2000 (2/27 electric)

GREAT
Bourdon
Open Diapason
Hohl Flute
Keraulophon
Principal
Wald Flute
Fifteenth
Mixture
Cornopean

SWELL
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Gedackt
Gamba
Principal
Flute
Twelfth
Fifteenth
Cornopean
Clarinet
Cornopean
Tremulant

PEDAL
Sub Bass
Bourdon
Bass Flute
Quint
Octave Flute
Cornopean
Cornopean

16
8
8
8
4
4
2
III
8

8
8
8
8
4
4
2-2/3
2
8
8
4

16
16
8
5-1/3
4
8
4

A

B

C

A

C
A

B

B

D
A
D
D
D
B
B

COUPLERS

Swell to Great

Swell Sub Octave

Swell Super Octave

Swell Unison Off

Swell to Pedal

Great to Pedal

Electro-pneumatic and electro-magnetic action

Compass 61/30

4 thumb pistons to Great and Swell

Balanced swell pedal (mechanical link)

Mixture composition:

C - B : 19.22.26

c⁰- b⁰: 15.19.22

c¹- f#³: 8.12.15

[1] The Methodist denomination was absorbed into the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977.

[2] James Colwell, Illustrated History of Methodism in Australia. Sydney: William Brooks & Co., 1904, 334.

[3] Gloster S. Udy, Spark of Grace. Parramatta: Epworth Press, 1977, 14 and 173.

[4] The Weekly Advocate, 1 March 1879, 17.

[5] Parramatta originally had no pedal stops: the Bourdon was divided into treble and bass, the treble being labelled Double Diapason.

[6] “Macquarie Street Church, Parramatta”, The Methodist, 25 March 1905, 9.

[7] Kelvin Hastie, “Organ Report No. 2 – Leigh Memorial Uniting Church, Parramatta.” Unpublished report, September 1995.