St Andrew's Uniting (Presbyterian) Kirk
Sturt Street, Ballarat
Organ History
First organ: Moved to Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Kew
Present organ: Built 1891 by Fincham & Hobday. 3 manuals, 24 speaking stops, 5 couplers, tracker action.
Great: 16' Double Diapason, 8' Open Diapason, 8' Loud Gamba, 8' Claribel, 4' Principal, 4' Harmonic Flute, 2-2/3' Twelfth, 2' Fifteenth
Swell: 16' Bourdon, 8' Open Diapason, 8' Gedact, 8' Keraulophon, 4' Octave, 2' Super Octave, III Sesquialtera, 8' Cornopean, 8' Oboe
Choir: 8' Hohl Flöte, 8' Gamba, 8' Dulciana, 4' Rohr Flöte, 2' Piccolo
Pedal: 16' Grand Open Diapason, 16' Bourdon
Rebuilt and enlarged 1926 by Geo Fincham & Sons. 3 manuals, 40 speaking stops, 10 couplers, tubular-pneumatic action.
Console disconnected and organ out of use since 1991.
Church History
The St Andrew's congregation was founded in 1854 and initially met in a wooden church opened in 1858. The present church was designed by Ballarat architect C.D. Cuthbert and is one of the largest churches in Victoria designed in the Romanesque style. Construction began in 1862-64 with later additions including the porch and vestry (1873), tower and spire (1882-84), transepts (1890), and apsidal choir vestry (1926).
1926 Organ Specification
| Great | Swell | Choir | Pedal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16' Double Diapason | 16' Bourdon | 8' Hohl Flöte | 32' Acoustic Bass |
| 8' Open Diapason major | 8' Open Diapason | 8' Gamba | 16' Open Diapason |
| 8' Open Diapason minor | 8' Gedact | 8' Viol d'Orchestre | 16' Subbass |
| 8' Gamba | 8' Gamba | 8' Dulciana | 16' Bourdon |
| 8' Claribel | 8' Voix Celeste | 4' Rohr Flöte | 8' Octave Diapason |
| 4' Principal | 4' Octave | 4' Flauto Traverso | 8' Principal |
| 4' Harmonic Flute | 2' Piccolo | 2' Piccolo | 8' Bass Flute |
| 2-2/3' Twelfth | III Mixture | 8' Clarinet | 8' Tromba |
| 2' Fifteenth | 8' Cornopean | 8' Orchestral Oboe | |
| 8' Tromba | 8' Oboe | 8' Open Diapason Major | |
| 8' Vox Humana | 8' Tromba |
Photo: Trevor Bunning (October 2008)
Sources
- Victorian Churches, edited by Miles Lewis. East Melbourne: National Trust of Australia (Victoria), 1991, p.97
- E.N. Matthews, Colonial Organs and Organbuilders. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 1969, pp. 132, 139, 160, 208
- Specification of the 1891 organ from the George Fincham letters, State Library of Victoria
- Specification of 1926 organ supplied by John N. Cowan (organist of the church 1940s and 1950s).
- Console illustration from Organs of the Catholic Church. Richmond: George Fincham & Sons Pty Ltd, 1931.
John Maidment
22 October 2008