St Dominic’s Chapel, Cabra Dominican College

Cross Road, Cumberland Park

Built 1929 J.E. Dodd
2 manuals, 10 couplers, electro-pneumatic action



Cabra College Chapel – exterior
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (October 2019)]


Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA, 2019 (last updated October 2019)

The College was established in February 1886 by Dominican Sisters from Cabra, Dublin. The foundation stone for the original building was laid in March 1885. The chapel, which was opened on 29 April 1917, was erected at a cost of more than £9000 pounds. The architects were Woods, Bagot, Jory and Laybourne Smith and it was designed in the style of an early Christian basilica.1 The stained glass windows are by the notable English artist C.E. Kempe.



Cabra College Chapel – organ
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (October 2019)]

The organ, built by J.E. Dodd, was opened on 25 August 1929. It was reported that the organ was the first built in South Australia with electro-pneumatic action although pneumatic tubing could be seen inside the organ. The soundboards were of sliderless design. It cost £1,000.2 It is an unusual example of a divided organ built by Dodd; he also built divided instruments for St Joseph’s Church, Malvern, Vic and St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Newtown, NSW.



Cabra College Chapel – console
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (October 2019)]

GREAT
Open Diapason
Claribel
Dulciana
Principal
Sub Octave
Super Octave
Swell to Great Sub Octave
Swell to Great
Swell to Great Super Octave
8
8
8
4





    
SWELL
Melodic Diapason
Hohl Flute
Gamba
Oboe
Sub Octave
Super Octave
Tremulant
8
8
8
8



‘Labial Oboe’ from TC up



  
PEDAL
Bourdon
Echo
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
16
16


    

Compass: 61/30
Electro-pneumatic action3


1 Advertiser, 30 April 1917, p.11

2 Southern Cross, 30 August 1929, p.7

3 Specification from Bruce Allan Naylor, Gazetteer of Organs in South Australia (thesis) University of Adelaide, 1969, p.94



Cabra College Chapel – console detail
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (October 2019)]




Cabra College Chapel – stopkeys 1
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (October 2019)]




Cabra College Chapel – stopkeys 2
[photograph by Trevor Bunning (October 2019)]