War Memorial Hall, Caulfield Grammar School: exterior 1958
[photograph by Commercial Photographics, from the school archives (1958)]
War Memorial Hall, Caulfield Grammar School: exterior 1958
[photograph by Commercial Photographics, from the school archives (1958)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA, 2016 (latest update December 2016)
Caulfield Grammar School was founded in 1881, moving to its present site in 1909. The school later absorbed Malvern Grammar School, now having more than 3,000 students on three campuses.1
The War Memorial Hall was built in 1957. It was designed by architect R.W. Appleford and built by Hansen & Yuncken Pty Ltd at a cost of £55,000 inclusive of the furnishings. A large stained glass window was designed and made by Alan Sumner.2 The building was opened by Sir Dallas Brooks, Governor of Victoria, on 26 April 1958. The hall and organ were destroyed by fire on 14 November 2000.
Congregational Church, Malvern: the J.E. Dodd organ
[photograph by Robert Tobin (1966)]
The organ was built in 1916 by the Adelaide organbuilder J.E. Dodd for the Congregational Church, Glenferrie Road, Malvern, Victoria. It was opened at a recital given by A.E.H. Nickson FRCO ARCM on 22 February 1916, who drew up the specification for the organ. It was placed at the front of the church, enclosed within an elevated chamber. The façade pipes were very lightly stencilled on a cream background, this work carried out by William R. Walker.3
| GREAT Open Diapason Melodic Diapason Claribel Echo Dulciana Principal Harmonic Flute Fifteenth Trumpet Swell to Great |
8 8 8 8 4 4 2 8 |
|||
| SWELL Lieblich Bourdon Open Diapason Rohr Flote Viole d'Gamba Viole Celeste Octave Diapason Cornopean Oboe |
16 8 8 8 8 4 8 8 |
A TC |
||
| PEDAL Major Bass Subbass Echo Bass Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal |
16 16 16 |
A |
Compass 61/32
Originally tubular-pneumatic action; electrified by S.I. Sakacs c.1960
Detached stopkey console4
War Memorial Hall, Caulfield Grammar School: interior of the hall and the Archer Memorial Organ
[photograph from the School Archives (1980-81)]
The organ was removed late in 1966 and the Malvern church demolished and replaced by a supermarket shortly afterwards. It was rebuilt by Laurie Pipe Organs Pty Ltd for the War Memorial Hall, Caulfield Grammar School as a memorial to one of the school's headmasters F.H. Archer who held the post for 32 years until 1954. New electro-pneumatic action was provided, a new detached drawstop console supplied, three of the Dodd ranks (Open Diapason no 2, Trumpet – renamed Posaune, and Swell Bourdon) placed on unit chests and extended. New upper work was provided. The organ sounded immensely impressive in a resonant acoustical environment, placed on a platform above rising steps at the rear of the hall. Norman Kaye, then the school's Director of Music, gave the opening recital on 2 April 1967 and also recorded several times on the ABC radio programme 'Organists of Australia'.
| GREAT Open Diapason no 1 Open Diapason no 2 Wald Flute Dulciana Principal Harmonic Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture Posaune Octave Posaune Swell Sub Octave to Great Swell to Great Swell Octave to Great |
8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 8 4 |
A new new new B B |
||
| SWELL Bourdon Open Diapason Rohr Flute Viol d'Gamba Viol Celeste Principal Open Flute Flautino Sifflute Cornopean Oboe Sub Octave Unison Off Octave Tremulant |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 1 8 8 |
C TC C C C |
||
| PEDAL Open Diapason Subbass Bourdon Quint Principal Flute Fifteenth Mixture Contra Posaune Posaune Octave Posaune Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Swell Octave to Pedal |
16 16 16 10-2/3 8 8 4 II 16 8 4 |
wd D C D A D A B B B |
Great to Pedal Pistons
Compass: 61/32
Detached drawstop console
Adjustable thumb and toe pistons (via switchboard behind music desk)5
1 Information from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caulfield_Grammar_School accessed 9 December 2016
2 Information supplied by Judith Gibson, Caulfield Grammar School archivist, December 2016
3 Malvern News, 26 February 1916, p.2. This includes an extensive description of the organ, presumably written by J.E. Dodd.
4 Details noted by John Maidment 1966
5 Details noted by John Maidment 1967
The assistance of the school archivist Judith Gibson with information and photographs is gratefully acknowledged.
War Memorial Hall, Caulfield Grammar School: Archer Memorial Organ showing case and console
with the school choir and Director of Music Norman Kaye
[photograph from the School Archives (c.1967)]
