St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie:
exterior from the north-east
[photograph by John Maidment (29 September 2015)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie:
exterior from the north-east
[photograph by John Maidment (29 September 2015)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by Kelvin Hastie
© OHTA, 2015 (last updated September 2015)
St Thomas' Church is one of the oldest churches in Australia and was built by convict labour under military supervision to the designs of architect Lieutenant T. H. Owen.1 Commenced in 1824 and first used for worship in 1828, it was constructed using 365,000 sandstock bricks (up to a metre thick in the nave and thicker in the tower) in a simple Gothic style. The church is noteworthy for its cedar fittings, especially the family pew boxes. Expansive views of the district can be obtained from its castellated clock tower. The building is a highly significant part of the history of colonial New South Wales.
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie:
organ from the floor – Peter Guy at the console
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (29 September 2015)]
The organ was built by J.W. Walker of London (job number 574) in 1856, being ordered in 1855 by 'Mrs Tyrell, Morpeth Church, Newcastle, New South Wales" at a cost of £140, rising to £161 after transportation was included.2 It arrived at St Thomas' Church in 1857. Originally installed in the west gallery (and replacing a seraphine), the organ was moved in 1868 to a position in the chancel against the north wall. It was returned to the gallery after restoration by H. Jarrott, Organ Services, of Brisbane, which was undertaken between October and December 1969. The organ was reinstalled during May 1970.3 The restoration was in memory of H.R. (John) and Gertrude Piper, whose benefaction made it possible.4 The instrument is the only surviving intact example of a 'barrel and finger' organ still operational in an Australian church.
In his 1985 detailed documentation of the organ, John Stiller noted the following distinctive features that had survived:
Stiller's statement of significance reads as follows:
This organ is an extremely rare example of a barrel organ which is operational. . . [it] is also a fine example of the characteristic tonal qualities to be found in mid-nineteenth century Walker organs. Its gentle and delicate sounds make it an instrument of great musical charm.5
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie:
barrel mechanism
[photograph by John Maidment (29 September 2015)]
John Stiller made notes on the operation of the barrel mechanism, summarised below:
The three barrels are set in a revolving frame at the rear of the organ. The frame can be turned to the appropriate position for the required barrel. Each staple (the length of which is determined by the length of the note value) makes contact with a tune tracing 'finger'. By means of a set of pulldown wires, the movement of these fingers operates its own set of pallets. The barrel mechanism has a completely chromatic compass of C – g2, controlling 44 of the 54 notes in the organ. (Obviously notes in the treble beyond vocal range were not required). Each barrel contains eleven tunes. Eight of these tunes have not been identified to date.
The programme of each barrel is as follows:
No. Barrel 1
1. Old Hundredth
2. Horsley
3. Eaton
4. New York
5. Unidentified
6. Mt Ephraim
7. Hanover
8. Easter Hymn
9. Helmsley
10. Tallis Chant
11. Randall Chant
No. Barrel 2
1. Unidentified
2. Unidentified
3. Creation
4. Darwall
5. A[l]bridge
6. Unidentified
7. Arabia
8. Unidentified
9. St Bride
10. Unidentified
11. Langdon Chant
No. Barrel 3
1. Surrey (or Carey)
2. W(h)areham
3. Sicilian Mariners
4. Devizes
5. Cambridge New
6. Unidentified
7. Irish
8. Unidentified
9. London New
10. Shirland
11. Mornington Chant
The specification of the organ is:
| MANUAL Open Diapason Stopped Diapason Treble0 Stoppped Diapason Bass Dulciana0 Principal Fifteenth |
[8] 0[8] [8] 0[8] [4] [2] |
47 pipes, C- F# from Stopped Diapason Bass+ 42 pipes, c0 – f3 12 pipes, C – B 42 pipes, c0 – f3 54 pipes 54 pipes |
PEDAL
20 notes (C- g3) permanently coupled to the manual
Mechanical action
Compass 54/20
Unenclosed
2 composition pedals (duplicated at rear of organ for barrel operator). The first engages all 8' stops, the second all stops
Pitch a1 = 435 Hz at 17o C
Wind pressure = 57mm (2-1/4")
Total number of pipes = 251
+ G – B are in made wood and are at 16'pitch
1. John Stiller, St Thomas' Anglican Church, Port Macquarie, NSW - Detailed Documentation of Pipe Organ built by J.W. Walker, 1856. Organ Historical Trust of Australia, 2 July 1985.
2. Ibid. and also Graeme D. Rushworth, Historic Organs of New South Wales (Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1988), p.340.
3. http://www.midcoast.com.au/~stthomas/History.html. Accessed by Trevor Bunning, May 2010.
4. From a plaque photographed by Trevor Bunning in May 2010.
5. Stiller, op.cit, p.5.
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: console
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (29 September 2015)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: nameplate
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (29 September 2015)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: drawstop engraving
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (29 September 2015)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: church interior from the east
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (29 September 2015)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: side view of organ
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (29 September 2015)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: pedalboard
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (25 May 2010)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: barrel mechanism
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (25 May 2010)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: plaque
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (25 May 2010)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: church interior with box pews
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (25 May 2010)]
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Port Macquarie: tower
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (25 May 2010)]