Christ Church Anglican Church
Toorak Road, South Yarra
First organ, B 1870 Hill & Son, London (job no 1343). 2m, 16spst, 3c, tr.
Gt: 16.8.8.8.4.2-2/3.2.III.8. Sw: 8.8.4.8.8. Ped: 16.16.
Reb & enl 1916 Geo.Fincham & Son;
reb & enl 1954 Hill, Norman & Beard (o/n V281);
additions 1962 J.W. Walker & Sons, 1965 Hill, Norman & Beard.
3m, 43spst, 12c, elpn. Gt: 16.8.8.8.4.4.2-2/3.2.III.8.
Sw: 16.8.8.8.8.4.4.2.III.8.16.8.4. Ch: 16.8.8.8.4.2-2/3.2.1-3/5.1-1/3.1.8. 8.
Ped: 16.16.16.10-2/3.8.8.4.16. Rem 1998; pipework used in present organ.
Present organ, B 1998 Kenneth Jones & Associates, Bray, Ireland,
incorporating pipework from previous organ.
3m, 40spst, 7c, tr & elpn.
Gt: 16.8.8.8.4.4.2-2/3.2.2.1-3/5.III-IV.8. Sw: 8.8.8.8.4.4.2.III.III.16.8.8.
Ch: 8.8.4.4.2-2/3.2.8. 8. Ped: 16.16.10-2/3.8.8.5-1/3.4.16.
CHRIST CHURCH ANGLICAN CHURCH, SOUTH YARRA
The foundation stone of Christ Church was laid in April 1856 and the first section of the building opened in February 1857; the architects were Charles Webb and Thomas Taylor. The aisles, chancel and impressive tower and spire were added 1881-1889 to the design of architects Reed, Henderson & Smart. The building is constructed in bluestone with freestone dressings and the general style is Early English Gothic. It consists of an aisled nave of four bays, tower and spire, wide transepts and apsidal chancel and sanctuary placed over an undercroft housing the vestries. The richly furnished interior includes a carved rood screen, carved reredos and chancel furnishings designed by Alexander North. The stained glass includes examples of the work of Clayton & Bell, E.R. Suffling (both of London), William Montgomery and Napier Waller.
The first organ was built by Hill & Son, London, the firm’s job number 1343 and ordered through Wilkie & Co., Melbourne. This was opened on 12 July 1871 by P.C. Plaisted. The specification from the Hill & Son order book appears below. In 1881 George Fincham moved the organ into an organ chamber and added two additional stops, possibly a Bourdon 16 and Piccolo 2 to the Swell.
GREAT |
16 8 8 8 4 3 2 III 8 8 8 4 8 8 16 16 |
gvd bass |
3 couplers
3 composition pedals
Compass: 54/30
Blown at treble end
Plain [metal]
Diapered [façade]
Cost: £500
The Hill & Son organ was rebuilt in 1916 by George Fincham & Son. The action was converted to tubular-pneumatic, a new console was provided and a Choir Organ was added.
GREAT |
16 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 8 16 8 8 8 8 4 2 8 8 8 8 4 8 16 16 8 8 |
A A |
This instrument was rebuilt and considerably enlarged by Hill, Norman & Beard (Australia) Pty Ltd in 1954 (order number V281) in consultation with the organist Leonard Fullard MBE. Electro-pneumatic action and a detached drawstop console were provided. J.W. Walker & Sons Ltd provided new pipes for the Great Trumpet, Swell Posaune and Swell Mixture in 1962 and Hill, Norman & Beard installed the Choir Tierce in 1965 and prepared for the addition of the Larigot and Sifflöte.
| GREAT Bourdon Open Diapason I Open Diapason II Stopped Diapason Principal Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture Trumpet Swell Sub Octave to Great Swell to Great Swell Octave to Great Choir to Great SWELL Lieblich Gedeckt Open Diapason Wald Flute Aeoline Viole Celeste Principal Lieblich Flöte Fifteenth Mixture Oboe Contra Posaune Posaune Clarion Sub Octave Unison Off Octave CHOIR (enclosed) Double Dulciana Viola Lieblich Gedeckt Dulciana Rohr Flöte Nazard Piccolo Tierce Larigot Sifflöte Clarinet Tremulant Trumpet Sub Octave Unison Off Octave Swell to Choir PEDAL Open Wood Subbass Bourdon Quint Octave Flute Fifteenth Trombone Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Choir to Pedal |
16 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 8 16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 III 8 16 8 4 16 8 8 8 4 2-2/3 2 1-3/5 1-1/3 1 8 8 16 16 16 10-2/3 8 8 4 16 |
A HN&B B Walker in place of Hill Trumpet TC prepared for HN&B Walker C Walker C Walker in place of Hill Cornopean C Walker D D HN&B HN&B prepared for prepared for B Walker E A A F E F HN&B |
This instrument became increasingly unreliable mechanically through the 1970s and 1980s. It was also far from successful tonally owing to the disparate nature of its contents, with pipework from Hill & Son, Fincham & Son, Hill, Norman & Beard and Walker & Sons. The pipework also spoke across the chancel rather than down the building. Its appearance was very drab, with three wide flats of silvered zinc pipes facing into the chancel and the south transept.
Kenneth Jones & Associates, of Bray, Ireland, was commissioned to build a new organ for Christ Church, incorporating the majority of the older pipework suitably revoiced, but with some significant new material, particularly the hammered metal façade pipes, Mixtures and reeds. The instrument was designed so that the pipework speaks down the building. The manual slider windchests were entirely new, the reversed terraced drawstop console was also new, together with a new wind system, new mechanical action for the manuals, electro-pneumatic action for the pedals, and electro-magnetic stop action. The console and casework are made from oak retrieved from a redundant Abbott & Smith organ in Ireland. This work was completed in 1998 and the organ opened in March 1999 by the organist Peter Nicholson who advised on the work.
GREAT |
16 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 2 1-3/5 III-IV 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 III III 16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 8 8 16 16 10-2/3 8 8 5-1/3 4 16 |
TC (unenclosed: at lower level) A B C A B C |
Compass: 58/30
John Maidment
6 May 2009
Photos: Trevor Bunning (April 2009)
2 photos above: Simon Colvin
This black & white image shows a section of the three zinc facades taken around 1980 [JRM]