Uniting Church, McCracken Street, Kensington – façade
[photograph by John Maidment (7 January 2025)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA 2010 (last updated January 2025)
The foundation stone of the Wesleyan Church, Kensington was laid in March 1889.1 Constructed in polychrome brickwork, it was designed by Scottish-born architect Alexander Eleazar Duguid (1850-1922)2 who was also responsible for the Presbyterian Church, Flemington and Methodist churches in Moonee Ponds and North Essendon. Only part of his design for the Kensington church was completed, but it has an impressive façade facing McCracken Street.
Uniting Church, McCracken Street, Kensington – organ case
[photograph by John Maidment (7 January 2025)]
The organ was one of seven sent to Victoria by London organbuilder John Courcelle who had worked in James Bishop's London factory with George Fincham. Two similar single-manual organs are at the Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church, Malvern and the second formerly at the Church of Christ, Geelong, but removed in late 2024 to storage at Mt Evelyn.
The organ was advertised in August 1865:
For sale. Church organ, a Courcelle organ (enclosed in a swell case) with six stops, pedal coupling 20 notes and three composition pedals. The organ is now erected and can be tested by application to Mr. Richard Whitehead, Hall of Commerce, Melbourne.1
It is likely that this is the organ now at Kensington. which remains essentially unaltered and installed in 1927 from the Methodist Church, Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. It is of interest for its powerful and bright sound and its case consisting of three Gothic gables with cusped openings containing gilt dummy wooden pipes. The metal pipework retains its cone tuning. The swell shutters have been removed but are stored behind the organ. It has a fairly recent electrical blower but the original manual blowing handle has been sawn off. The keyboard, in oak, has scrolled cheeks and slides inside the organ, allowing the console door to close.
MANUAL Open Diapason Stop Diapason Bass Clarabella Dulciana Principal Fifteenth |
8 8 8 8 4 2 |
open wood bass CC-BB TC TC |
Compass: 56/20
Pedal pulldowns
All pipework enclosed in swell box
Trigger swell lever
3 composition pedals
Mechanical key and stop action
Height 4.00 metres (estimate)
Width 1.9 metres
Depth 1.00 metre4
Uniting Church, McCracken Street, Kensington – console
[photograph by John Maidment (7 January 2025)]
Uniting Church, McCracken Street, Kensington – nameplate
[photograph by John Maidment (7 January 2025)]
Uniting Church, McCracken Street, Kensington – pipework
[photograph by John Maidment (7 January 2025)]
1 North Melbourne Advertiser, 6 April 1889, p.2
2 https://www.artefacts.co.za/main/Buildings/archframes.php?archid=429, accessed 9 January 2025
3 The Argus, 20 August 1865, p.1
4 Specification noted John Maidment 7 January 2025