Hamilton, Victoria
Casson's Patent Organ Co, London, 1892 for the residence of
The Hon. William Winter-Irving, Armadale
2 manuals, 16 speaking stops, mechanical action.
rebuilt 1957, Hill, Norman & Beard, Melbourne;
2 manuals, 24 speaking stops, electro-pneumatic action
Incorporates Australia's first narrow-scaled string stops
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA 2006 (last updated June 2019)
The foundation stone of Christ Church was laid in November 1876 and the building opened in 1878. Designed by Ballarat architect H.R. Casselli, this bluestone building incorporates a massive tower and spire at the west end, and a spacious nave, unusually of unplastered bluestone. The apsidal chancel was added in 1956-1957 to the design of G.S. Richards, Ballarat diocesan architect.1 In 1924, Robert Prenzel provided a design for a reredos and side panelling at the church.2
The East end of Christ Church with St Andrew's Presbyterian Church on the left
The 1892 Casson's Patent Organ Company organ placed in the ballroom at 'Noorilim', Armadale
(photograph courtesy of the Murchison Historical Society)
The organ was built in 1892 by Casson's Patent Organ Company, London and was installed in the ballroom at 'Noorilim', the residence of the Hon. William Winter Irving, Dandenong Road, Armadale, in 1894.3 The instrument was moved to Christ Church after 1901, and was rebuilt in 1957 by Hill, Norman & Beard, who electrified the action, resited the organ on a loft above the chancel and supplied a new console, but retaining all of the original pipework. The instrument is of particular interest for its imitative string stops, thought to have been voiced by William Thynne, who worked for Casson at the time, and the first such stops in Australia; and also for its floridly decorated facade pipes.
| 1892 SPECIFICATION GREAT Open Diapason Claribel Dulciana Principal Flauto Traverso GREAT PEDALIER Bourdon Flauto Dolce SWELL Harmonic Flute Viole d'Orchestre Viole Céleste Echo Salicional Salicet Flautino Trumpet vibrato SWELL PEDALIER Bourdon Bass Flute 4 couplers (inc. Sw.octave) Pedal help - Great pedalier Pedal help - Swell pedalier mechanical action 4 1957 SPECIFICATION GREAT Lieblich Bourdon Open Diapason Claribel Flute Dulciana Principal Flauto Traverso Fifteenth SWELL Geigen Principal Harmonic Flute Viol d'Orchestre Viol Célestes Echo Salicional Salicet Flautina Mixture Trumpet Oboe PEDAL Bourdon Lieblich Bourdon Grossquint Flute Quint Octave Flute Contra Oboe |
8 8 8 4 4 16 8 8 8 8 8 4 2 8 16 8 2 16 8 8 8 4 4 2 8 8 8 8 8 4 2 III 8 8 16 16 10-2/3 8 5-1/3 4 16 |
TC 2 A TC B C A A C A C B |
compass: 61/30
detached drawknob console
electro-pneurnatic action5
1 Victorian Churches: their origins, their story & their architecture, edited by Miles Lewis. East Melbourne: National Trust of Australia (Victoria), 1991, p.125
2 Terence Lane, Robert Prenzel, p.63.
3 Matthews Colonial Organs & Organbuilders. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 1969, pp.172, 184
4 Casson's Patent Organ Company (Ltd), Church, Chamber and Concert ' Organ Builders : a brief explanation of their principles of construction, with testimonials and reports as to their work and specifications of same. Notting Hill, London, the firm, c.1892, p.32.
5 Specification noted 1966 John Maidment
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The Casson organ at Christ Church, Hamilton before the rebuild
(Meredith Elliot)
Photos: JRM May 2006 and Trevor Bunning (Oct 2009)