Uniting Church
Mount Barker

Fincham & Hobday, 1884, repaired W L Roberts 1942
2 manuals, 13 speaking stops, 3 couplers, mechanical action

From 1991 OHTA Conference handbook:


The renowned Victorian organbuilder George Fincham was to set up a branch of his business in Adelaide in 1881. Under Arthur Hobday, apprentice made junior partner, and Josiah Dodd, the firm of Fincham and Hobday built perhaps ten new organs and rebuilt many others before Dodd purchased the business in 1894.

Only two instruments remain substantially untouched, this and its twin at the Uniting (Congregational) Church, Port Adelaide. The Mount Barker organ was built in 1884. It has two manuals and pedals, 13 speaking stops and a tracker action.

Both instruments are notable and possess features differing markedly from those of the parent firm. Of note at Mount Barker is the casework which has three towers, the central five pipes havingno supporting band. Tonally the Great manual has a 2ft Harmonic Piccolo rather than a Fifteenth, and a two-rank Mixture rather than one of three ranks. Neither of these ranks appeared in the Melbourne instruments. Of the two organs the instrument at Mount Barker is regarded as the finer due largely to the acoustic quality of its position in the church.

The specification is:

Great Open Diapason Claribel Dulciana Principal Flute Harmonic Piccolo Mixture Swell Open Diapason Gedact Gemshorn Flageolet Oboe Pedal Bourdon Couplers Swell to Great Swell to Pedal Great to Pedal

8 8 8 4 4 2 II 8 8 8 2 4 16

(flute)

Trigger Swell
Compass 56/30

Mechanical action