St George's Anglican Cathedral
St Georges Terrace, Perth

First organ: B. 1874-75 Hill and Son, London (job no 1554);
inst. 1875. Inst. new cathedral 1888 Robert Cecil Clifton. 2m., 15 sp.st., 3c., tr.
Reb. & enl. 1903 J.E. Dodd; reb. 1928 J.E.Dodd (console moved and some ranks completed).
Reb. and enl. 1958/59 J.W. Walker & Sons, Ruislip, Middlesex.
3m., 57sp.st., l5c., el.pn. Organ dismantled 1994 F.J. Larner & Co.;

Present organs:
(1) west end organ: B. 1991-93 Knud Smenge.
3m., 4
8sp.st., 6c., tr. key action, el.stop action.
(2) choir organ, in chancel gallery, B. 1993-94 Knud Smenge.
2m., 18sp.st., 4c., tr. key action, el.stop action.
Additional console controlling west and chancel organs on electric action.
(3) chamber organ, B. 198
7 Knud Smenge.
1m., 4sp.st., no pedals, tr.Knud Smenge, Melbourne







Photograph: Mark Quarmby (April 2012)

The earliest church on this site was in the classical style, not unlike such buildings as St George's Battery Point and the original St David's in Hobart.  The foundation stone of the present building, designed by the eminent NSW architect Edmund Blacket, was laid in November 1880 and the opening took place in 1888.  The cathedral is comparable in scale with Blacket's St Thomas' Church, North Sydney, but is constructed in red brick with Rottnest stone dressings both internally and externally;  the roof beams are of jarrah, a local timber.  It consists of a five bay clerestoried nave, with prominent flanking porches, lofty transepts and square–ended sanctuary.  The completion of the building was entrusted to Blacket's son Cyril as Edmund had died in 1883.  The firm had designed a magnificent tower and broach spire for the building, but the present crenellated tower with elevated stair turret was erected in 1902 to a reduced design by local architect Sir J.J. Talbot Hobbs.  The building incorporates splendid fittings, particularly a wide range of imported stained glass by such makers as Clayton & Bell, and James Powell & Sons, both of London, together with local makers such as Mathieson & Gibson, of Melbourne and Barnett Bros, of Perth.  The floors are of tessellated tiles.  The wrought iron chancel screen was added in 1906 and the carved alabaster reredos with its elaborate statuary in 1909.  The Soldiers' Memorial Chapel, built from Donnybrook stone and brick, was constructed in 1919, while the pulpit, font and north transept panelling were designed by George Herbert Parry.

The earlier organ of two manuals, 15 speaking stops and mechanical action, was built in 1874–75 by Hill & Son, London (job no. 1554) for the former building.  In 1903 it was enlarged by J.E. Dodd who added a third manual and converted the action to tubular–pneumatic.  This was the first work carried out by Dodd in WA and the planning of it resulted in the setting up of the WA branch of the firm in 1902, managed by his son Ebenezer Dodd.  A major rebuilding and enlargement took place in 1958 by J.W. Walker & Sons Ltd, of Ruislip, Middlesex and the majority of the instrument sited on a platform in the south transept, with the console and choir organ placed in a gallery under the tower.  This instrument was dismantled in 1994 by F.J. Larner and Co.;  the surviving Hill chests and pipework were used in an organ for St Hilda's Anglican Girls' School chapel, Mosman Park, while the Tuba went to St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, and the console to St Paul's Cathedral, Bendigo.

The 1875 Hill & Son organ had 2 manuals, 15 speaking stops, 3 couplers, and mechanical action: Gt: 8.8.8.4.4.2-2/3.2.II. Sw: 8.8.4.2.8. Ped: 16.16.



Photo: Mark Quarmby (Oct 1993)


The specification of the 1958 Walker rebuild was (1993 OHTA Conference Handbook):

Great
Violone
Open Diapason I
Open Diapason II
Violin Diapason
Claribel
Principal I
Principal II
Flute
Twelfth
Fifteenth
Mixture 17.19.22
Tromba

Swell
Lieblich Bourdon
Open Diapason
Rohr Flute
Viola da Gamba
Voix Celeste
Principal
Flauto Traverso
Fifteenth
Mixture 19.22.26
Contra Oboe
Trumpet
Oboe
Clarion

Choir
Double Dulciana
Open Diapason
Lieblich Gedeckt
Dulciana
Gemshorn
Lieblich Flute
Dulcet
Nazard
Flautino
Tierce
Dulciana Mixture
Clarinet
Tromba
Tuba

Pedal
Subbass
Open Wood
Open Diapason
Violone
Bourdon
Lieblich Bourdon
Dulciana
Octave
Principal
Bass Flute
Fifteenth
Octave Flute
Ophicleide
Contra Oboe
Tuba
Tromba
Octave Tromba

16
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
2-2/3
2
III
8


16
8
8
8
8
4
4
2
III
16
8
8
4


16
8
8
8
4
4
4
2-2/3
2
1-3/5
II
8
8
8


32
16
16
16
16
16
16
8
8
8
4
4
16
16
8
8
4

A


A


A




B


C








D

D



E

F
E

F
E
F
F

E

B
K


H
I
J
A
H
C
E
I
J
H
J
H
C
D
K
B
B

Electro-pneumatic action
15 couplers


There are now three organs in the Cathedral, all built by the Melbourne organbuilder Knud Smenge, two of which are electrically connected to an all–electric console at floor level.  The first instrument, a chamber organ, was built in 1987.

 



Photo: Mark Quarmby


MANUAL
Gedackt
Rohrflute
Principal
Mixture   19.22

8
4
2
II


Stops simply labelled with pitch designations

Compass:  56 notes;  no pedals
Mechanical key and stop action
Pipework enclosed behind swell shutters with knee lever.

                                                                                                                                  

 

The west organ, sited on a new west gallery, was installed in 1993.  This has casework of Tasmanian oak, and includes a ruckpositiv division, placed on the gallery rail.  The facade pipes are of burnished tin.  The Pedal, Great and Positiv divisions are visible in the facade;  the larger pipes of the Pedal and the Swell are placed in a separate case to the rear.

GREAT
Pommer
Principal
Rohrflute
Octave
Flute Harm.
Octave
Mixture VI–VIII
Cymbel II
Cornet III
Trompet
Clarion
Tremulant

POSITIVE
Gedackt
Spitzgamba
Principal
Kobbelflute
Octave
Gemshorn
Nasat
Scharf IV
Krumhorn
Vox Humana
Trompet St George
Tremulant

SWELL
Bordun
Gedackt
Salicional
Voix Celeste
Principal
Spitzflute
Nasard
Waldflute
Terz
Mixture IV
Trompet
Trompet Harm.
Oboe
Clarion
Tremulant

PEDAL
Untersatz
Principal
Subbas
Octave
Gedackt
Choralbas
Rauschquint V
Bombarde
Bombarde
Trompet
Zinka

16
8
8
4
4
2
2
1
2-2/3
8
4



8
8
4
4
2
2
1-1/3
1
8
8
8



16
8
8
8
4
4
2-2/3
2
1-3/5
1-1/3
16
8
8
4



32
16
16
8
8
4
2-2/3
32
16
8
4









TC






gvd.bass








Spun brass, (brass laid with gold leaf), en chamade, added April 2011 South Island Organ Co., NZ






TC














A

A



B added 2010 South Island Organ Co., NZ
B



Compass:  58/30

6 couplers

Mechanical key action with electric stop action and override for electric (mid) console

Electric transmission to swell shutters

Adjustable thumb and toe pistons with 40 channels

Attached drawknob console.

 

In 2009 the South Island Organ Company cleaned and reset the speech of the flue stops. SIOC lengthened the resonators in 2008 of the 16' and 8' chorus reeds - but did not alter anything else with regard to the voicing other than correct a few bad tongue curves...the three 4' s, Oboe, Krummhorn and Vox Humana are untouched and simply regulate.  [updated details provided by Patrick Elms, December 2011]

The chancel organ, placed under the tower at the south–east junction of the building, speaking across the chancel, was built in 1993–94.  The Swell occupies a brustwerk position in the striking case front, in modern Scandinavian style.

 



Photo: Mark Quarmby


GREAT
Principal
Rohrflute
Salicional
Octave
Flute Harmonique
Waldflute
Mixture V
Trumpet
Tremulant

SWELL
Gedackt
Koppelflute
Principal
Nasat
Schalmey
Tremulant

PEDAL
Subbass
Principal
Gedackt
Italian Principal
Fagot

8
8
8
4
4
2
2
8



8
4
2
1-1/3
8



16
8
8
4
16





















added 2007 South Island Organ Co., NZ




Compass:  58/30

4 couplers (inc. Swell to Pedal 4ft)

Mechanical key action;  electric stop action

Adjustable combinations action with 40 channels

Attached drawknob console

 

            Bronwyn Hughes, Lights of our Past:  Australian Stained Glass.  Melbourne:  RMIT Publishing, 1999. (CD ROM)

            John Beaverstock, "The Organs of St George's Cathedral, Perth", Victorian Organ Journal, part one, June 1994, pp.6–12;  part two, December 1994, pp.28–35.

 

 




























Dual electric console (Mark Quarmby April 2012)








Photos: Trevor Bunning (March 2009)




Photo: Mark Quarmby (April 2012)





Two photos of the Smenge west-end organ for St George's Cathedral, Perth,
taken by Geoffrey Cox in January 1993 at the Smenge factory, Healesville, Vic.