Progress report August 2011 from OHTA chairman John Maidment
Work is now advancing very well with the Hill & Son organ located at the Barossa Regional Gallery, Tanunda, SA. An inspection in August this year revealed that all of the manual and pedal key actions are now complete and linked between the console and windchests. The reconstructed barker lever is fully functional and operates with considerable vigour. The reconstruction of the coupling actions and pedal actions represents enormous skill on the part of organbuilder George Stephens. The latter is divided on either side of the organ and has some intricate twists; it all works admirably. The evidence for the placement of much of this work has come from slots in the floor plate for dovetail joints. The metal components have been made by Irwin Beitz, of Tanunda, to an extraordinary degree of precision. The Choir wooden Lieblich Gedact 8ft and the metal Lieblich Flute 4ft are in position, together with the Great Principal 4ft and have all the engaging hallmarks of Hill & Son sound. All of the facade pipes are now playable too. The wooden Double Open Diapason 32ft may also be sounded and has a wonderful sense of gravity. The rackboards, where altered in 1970, have been replaced in solid pine.
The work that remains includes the following:
· Completion of all the stop actions, including placing the drawstops at the console (the original 1875 knobs and engraved discs survive); part of the swell stop actions are in place and manufacture of the metal and wooden components is largely finished ;
· Construction of the composition pedal actions;
· Construction of the lever swell pedal and holding mechanism, which will be based upon designs kindly supplied by William Drake, the renowned UK organbuilder;
· Construction of a new bench in Hill & Son style;
· Regulation of the key and stop actions;
· Insertion of the remaining pipework, including repatriation of the larger wooden pedal stops to their original positions before the alteration in pitch of 1939. It has been possible to restore cone tuning to the Great Principal 4ft and it is hoped that this will be possible for most of the remaining metal pipework.
It is difficult to give a precise date for when the instrument will be tonally and mechanically complete, but present indications are that this will happen next year, 2012. While this has been a very long project, we can report that the overall quality and level of authenticity achieved is of the highest order and that the instrument will certainly be one of Australia's finest.
New pedal actions on organ floor
New manual coupling actions behind console
New conveyancing to façade pipes, new rackboards to Great Organ and cone tuned Principal 4 in place
New manual action runs and two of the new concussion bellows
New Swell octave and sub-octave couplers
New Pedal action runs
New manual actions – side view
1875 Hill & Son Organ Restoration
Progress Report June 2011
from Steve Kaesler
Update on the Hill & Son organ restoration project in the Barossa Regional Gallery, Tanunda, SA.
June 2011
We are pleased to report that all of the key action for the 1877 Hill & Son organ in the Barossa Regional Gallery, Tanunda, SA, has now been installed and adjusted by George Stephens. The three manual tracker action includes sub-octave, unison and super-octave swell couplers to the great, working through the barker lever machine, direct mechanical swell to choir coupler, and manual to pedal couplers for all divisions. The action has been constructed new by George in Hill & Son style, apart from the extant Hill & Son roller boards directly under the manual chests. Many of the threaded wire ends (including fancy wire arrangements for the couplers), felt washers, and leather buttons, etc, were manufactured and placed with the help of expertise from within the Friends of the Hill & Son Grand Organ group in Tanunda. The completed key action is a significant milestone for the Hill & Son project, and was rightly celebrated recently with the chinking of wine glass rims in true Barossa style!
The pedal tracker action is mostly constructed but awaiting final installation shortly. The pedal Open Diapason 32’ action will transfer from the main pedal trackers via new roller boards and squares currently under construction.
The chunky metal stop action roller boards to the swell division have been completed by Irwin Beitz of Tanunda, using steel materials donated by the Ahrens Engineering Group of Shea-Oak Log, SA. We appreciate the tremendous on going in-kind support from both of these parties. Wooden connecting rods will be constructed next to connect all of these together.
Local cabinet maker and craftsman David Nitschke of Marananga is in the process of constructing a new bench to Hill & Son design. The organ benches at Goulburn, NSW. and St Mary’s Tottenham, London, UK. are being used as base models.
Cone tuning will be restored to pipe work where possible, as is the case with the great Principal 4’ which now sits on the chest for the purpose of testing the Barker Lever machine action. It has a sweet singing tone. George Stephens has transported his voicing machine to the Barossa ready for final voicing of all other pipe work later this year.
We have enjoyed visits to the Barossa Hill & Son project by many interstate organists and OHTA members and your visit is also warmly welcomed at any time.
We greatly appreciate the support of hundreds of like minded people, both OHTA members and other Australian and overseas folk, who have enabled OHTA to achieve the success demonstrated to date with this significant organ restoration. If you would like to assist further, please contact the OHTA Chairman, John Maidment or Steve Kaesler for information skaesler@barossa.sa.gov.au
Community concert of the first two working stops (Choir Flutes 8 & 4), December 2009
Candle light concert with the Hill & Son organ backdrop
Barker Lever wind control and bellows
Connecting the Barker lever to the Great
George Stephens rounding out pipework
Installing restored Swell louvres and mechanism
Key action coming together
Manual to Pedal stickers and trackers
New comination action pedal
New concussion bellows to Great and Choir C# trunking
New Manual to Pedal rollerboard and backfalls
New Pedal rollerboards and action
New stop action trundles for all divisions
New Swell stop action rollerboard
New Swell stop action squares and pivot beam
New Swell stop action squares and pivot beam in place
New Swell stop action squares and pivot beam
Restored stop knob and assembly
Swell coupling action
Photos supplied by Steve Kaesler (June 2011)
