Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: view from the west
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2006)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: view from the west
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2006)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA, 2008 (last updated March 2016)
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo, Australia's largest provincial church, is dramatically sited and impressive in scale. It was designed by Reed, Smart & Tappin in the Decorated Gothic style and built of sandstone and granite. The nave was built in 1896-1901 and the building completed 1954-77. It comprises a seven-bay nave, narthex, crossing, apsidal sanctuary, three-bay transepts, and four octagonal chapels flanking the crossing. The exterior is dominated by a crossing tower and spire, and the west front with prominent flanking turrets. It is a rare example of a Gothic cathedral completed in the 20th century.
The interior is notable for its hammerbeam roof, west window by Hardman of Birmingham, and divided organ by Bishop & Son, London (1904). The twentieth century work was largely executed by sixteen craftsmen, most of whom were Italians brought to Australia for the purpose.1
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: organ from the nave
[photograph by John Maidment (June 2010]
Bishop & Son's world-wide connection with the Catholic Church was further extended in 1904 by their gaining the contract for a large new organ for the Cathedral. Lewis & Company, together with the Bishop firm, were invited to tender and the contract was worth some £2,000 ex works plus £500 for packing, freight charges and erection in the Cathedral. The contract for the instrument was signed on 16 January 1904, the official opening took place on 7 December 1905 and the opening recital, by Ernest Wood, on 6 May 1906.
| GREAT ORGAN Contra Gamba Open Diapason Open Diapason Clarabella Doppel Flöte Principal Harmonic Flute Fifteenth Mixture Double Trumpet Harmonic Trumpet Clarion SWELL ORGAN Bourdon Violin Diapason Rohr Flute Vox Angelica Voix Celestes Geigen Principal Flautina Mixture Contra Fagotto Cornopean Oboe Clarion CHOIR ORGAN Viol di Gamba Dulciana Lieblich Gedacht Wald Flute Harmonic Piccolo Clarinet SOLO ORGAN Harmonic Flute Flauto Traverso Orchestral Oboe Tuba PEDAL ORGAN Contra Open Diapason Open Diapason Violone Bourdon Octave Flute Bass Trombone Trumpet |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 IV rks 16 8 4 16 8 8 8 8 4 2 III rks 16 8 8 4 8 8 8 4 2 8 8 4 8 8 32 16 16 16 8 8 16 8 |
(19"x 17") A (14" x 12 1/2") (4 3/4" x 6 1/8") B (10"x 8") A B C (bottom octave wood, 8" x 8") C |
12 couplers
Compass: 61/30
Tremulant to Swell and Solo Organs by pedal
8 pistons, 8 composition pedals
Concave and parallel pedal board
Blowing by two electric motors operating crank and feeder gear
Tubular-pneumatic action throughout
Divided cases on West gallery
Wind pressures:
Great flues 3 1/2 ", reeds 6"
Swell flues 3 1/2 ", reeds 6"
Choir 3". Solo flues 3 1/2 ", Tuba 8"
Pedal flues 4", reed 8"
The soundboards were of best Honduras mahogany; the pedal board was concave and parallel with radiating sharps and the keys were of 12-cut ivory. Pipework to the 4 foot pipe of each stop was of spotted metal.2
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: Bishop & Son console
with Cyril Cowling at the keys
[photograph from Rae Anderson (1920s)]
The organ was rebuilt in 1951 by Hill Norman & Beard (Australia) Pty Ltd at which time the action was converted to electro-pneumatic and the fourth manual removed although the original console shell was retained. The Solo Harmonic Flute, Flauto Traverso and Orchestral Oboe were discarded.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: present console
[photograph by Mark Quarmby (October 2008)]
In 1986-87 it was extensively rebuilt by Australian Pipe Organs Pty Ltd. The instrument was returned four manuals with a new drawstop console, the sides of which were modelled upon the original. The action was renewed and some small tonal changes made to the Choir Organ, which had previously been altered by Hill, Norman & Beard. The original wind system was retained. More recently, in 2010, Australian Pipe Organs Pty Ltd added a second rank of pedal reeds at 32 and 16 feet pitches, and replaced the bottom octave of the Pedal Violone in zinc pipes, which had previously been made in wood.
All of the original Bishop & Son pipework survives except for the Choir Viol di Gamba 8, Wald Flute 4, Solo Harmonic Flute 8, Flauto Traverso 4, Orchestral Oboe 8 and Pedal Violone 16 notes 1-12. The original Solo slider windchest was discarded by Hill, Norman & Beard. The outstanding divided cases, with generous overhang, were designed by Bishop & Son and constructed in teak. The south case pipes are entirely non-speaking.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: south case
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2006)]
The south case contains the Swell Organ, Solo Tuba, Pedal Open Diapason 16, Violone, Bourdon, Bombarde, Trombone and Bassoon. The north case contains the Great and Choir Organs and the Pedal Double Open Diapason 32. Each side has a separate Discus blowing and humidification plant.
| GREAT ORGAN Contra Gamba Open Diapason no 1 Open Diapason no 2 Clarabella Doppel Flute Principal Harmonic Flute Fifteenth Mixture Double Trumpet Trumpet Clarion Swell to Great Choir to Great Solo to Great SWELL ORGAN Bourdon Violin Diapason Rohrflote Viola da Gamba Viole Celeste Principal Flautina Mixture Contra Fagotto Cornopean Oboe Clarion Swell Octave Tremulant CHOIR ORGAN Gedeckt Dulciana Gemshorn Nazard Harmonic Piccolo Tierce Nineteenth Twenty Second Clarinet Tuba Swell to Choir Solo to Choir Tremulant SOLO ORGAN Tuba Octave Tuba Great Reeds to Solo PEDAL ORGAN Double Open Wood Open Wood Violone Gamba Bourdon Octave Principal Flute Fifteenth Quartane Contra Bombarde Bombarde Trombone Trumpet Bassoon Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Choir to Pedal Solo to Pedal |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 IV 16 8 4 16 8 8 8 8 4 2 III-IV 16 8 8 4 8 8 4 2-2/3 2 1-3/5 1-1/3 1 8 8 8 4 32 16 16 16 16 8 8 8 4 II 32 16 16 8 4 |
A 15.19.22.26 TC 15.19.22.26 B B B C A D C E D E 19.22 F F G G |
Great & Pedal pistons
coupled
Compass: 61/30
Total Pipes 2608
Balanced mechanical swell pedals to Swell and Choir3
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: left jamb of the gallery console
[photograph by John Maidment (February 2015)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: right jamb of the gallery console
[photograph by John Maidment (February 2015)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: resonators of the 32ft reed
[photograph by John Maidment (February 2015)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: boots of the 32ft reed
[photograph by John Maidment (February 2015)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: Double Open Wood 32
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2006)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: chest organ – rear view
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2006)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: chest organ – front view
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2006)]
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo: nave and choir from organ gallery
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2006)]
There is a single-manual chest organ made by Aug. Laukhuff, Weikersheim, Germany placed on the floor of the nave. It was supplied in 1982 by Bellsham Pipe Organs. It has four unlabelled stops: 8.4.2.1-1/3.
The organ now at Wesley College, Clunes was temporarily installed in the south transept after its restoration in New Zealand.
1 Monsignor John Duffus, revised by John Hogan, Sacred Heart Cathedral Bendigo (n.d.).
2 Antony R. Love and Terrence Stokes, 'Great Cathedral Organs of Australia number one: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Bendigo', Society of Organists (Victoria) Incorporated Newsletter, October 1967, pp.1-20; Laurence Elvin, Bishop and Son Organ Builders (Swanpool, Lincoln: the author, 1984), p.288
3 Specification and mechanical details noted by John Maidment 1966 and 2015.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (October 2008)]
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