Barraba
Thomas Jones & Son, Upper Holloway, London (2/13 mechanical)
Photo: Trevor Bunning (May 1983)
From 1998 OHTA Conference booklet:
The Anglican Church of St Laurence is typical of the many small dark-brick neo-Gothic structures erected in rural towns at the turn of the century.
The organ in St Laurence's Church, built c.1890 by Thomas S. Jones & Son of Upper Holloway, London, was installed in the church in 1919 as a War Memorial. It was purchased second-hand, having been built originally as a residence organ. During the period 1956-68 the organ was stored under the church building and consequently sustained serious damage with many pipes and parts being lost. In 1968 Mr Bill Bright of Barraba rescued the remains, stored many of the parts at his home and made an attempt to re-erect the organ in the church.
In 1988 the Parish applied to the Heritage Council of NSW for financial assistance to restore the organ and a grant for $20,000 was subsequently awarded. Further grants, totalling $15,000 were made after an additional application was successful in 1990. It was decided to engage Mark Fisher, renowned for his excellent reputation for restoring severely damaged and altered historic organs. Kelvin Hastie, appointed by the church in 1991, acted as consultant to the Heritage Council throughout this reconstruction. Work was completed in 1992 with many new pipes to replace those missing.
This amazingly compact organ with its brightly diapered facade pipes is firmly in the Romantic style. The narrow scaling of the pipework produces a sound that tends towards the gentle side. The present specification is:[1]
| GREAT Open Diapason Clarabella Dulciana Stopped Bass Principal Lieblich Flute Fifteenth SWELL Lieblich Gedact Viol d'Gamba Gedact Bass Gemshorn Flautina Trumpet PEDAL Bourdon Principal |
8 8 8 8 4 4 2 8 8 8 4 2 8 16 8 |
(bass octave completed before 1959) TC (many missing pipes replaced 1992) TG CC-BB (missing, all pipes replaced 1992) TC (not original; installed before 1959) TC CC-BB (missing, all pipes replaced 1992) (replaced missing Oboe TC 8) (added 1992) |
COUPLERS
Swell to Pedals
Great to Pedals
Swell to Great
lever swell pedal
hitch control for tremulant
Compass: 58/30
2 composition pedals each to Great and Swell
[1] Hastie, K., A Rural Organ Restored, The Thomas S. Jones & Son Organ of St Laurence's Anglican Church, Barraba, N.S.W', SOJ April/May 1993, pp.32-35.
Photos: Richard Ward (Oct 2007)