ST ANDREW’S CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, BALMAIN

 

© Pd L 2005

The foundation stone of St Andrew's Church was laid on 3 August 1854 and the building, nestled today behind large trees at the intersection of Darling Street and Curtis Road, opened on 16 August 1855.  The architects were Messrs Goold and Field and the building, in Decorated Gothic style with a centrally placed spire above the main entrance, was constructed of local stone.  The dimensions were quoted as 80ft in length and 32ft in breadth and the interior included open pews of massive cedar, pulpit and communion table. [1]

 

The pipe organ, standing prominently today at the front of the building, was built in 1867 by J.W. Walker of London as job number 828 and was originally installed in St John’s Anglican Church, Darlinghurst.  After St John’s ordered a much larger Hill & Son organ, the Walker was moved to Balmain by C.J. Jackson, who installed it in 1884.  In 1898 the instrument was moved from the rear gallery to its present position. [2]

 

The organ was supplied by Walkers with four spare slides: two each on Great and Swell. A Bourdon 16’ (probably by William Davidson) was placed on the slide in the Swell originally intended for a Horn, but this addition was removed during the 1993 restoration, carried out by Pitchford & Garside. Other prepared-for stops inserted in 1993 were the Great Twelfth and Trumpet and the Swell Piccolo and Horn. These ranks were manufactured in Melbourne by Australian Pipe Organs Pty. Ltd.  The organ survives in a remarkable state of originality, with its original action, case, soundboards, wind system, console and cone-tuned pipework being retained. [3]  

 

 
© Pd L 2005


MP3 file (3.6MB) of Michael Dudman playing Fantasia in G minor by Pachelbel (recorded 1984)

 

J.W. Walker 1867 (2/16 mechanical)

             

GREAT
Open Diapason	8 Ft.
Stop’d Bass & Clar. Treb.	8 Ft.	tone
Keraulophon	8 Ft.
Principal	4 Ft.
Flute	4 Ft.
Twelfth	2-2/3 Ft.	+
Fifteenth	2 Ft.
Mixture	3 ranks
Trumpet	8	+
SWELL
Sw. Open Diapason	8 Ft.
Sw. Stop’d Diapason	8 Ft.	tone
Sw. Principal	4 Ft.
Sw. Piccolo	2 Ft.	+
Sw. Oboe	8 Ft.
Sw. Horn	8 Ft.	+
PEDAL
Pedal Bourdon	16 Ft.	tone
COUPLERS
Swell to Great
Great to Pedals

 

Tremulant (by hitch-down)

 

 

Mechanical action throughout

 

Compass 56/30

(Note: All Swell stops of 44-note compass. The lowest octave of Swell manual plays only C-B of the Great Stop’d Bass)

 

3 composition pedals for Great

 

Hitch-down swell lever

 

 

No. of pipes = 942

 

Pitch a ¹ = 444 Hz at 18⁰ C

 

Wind pressure (in 1979) = 72mm (2⅞”)

 

 

Mixture composition:

C - b⁰ :     15.19.22

C¹ - g³ :    8.12.15

 

 

+ Prepared-for stops added 1993 Pitchford & Garside

 

J.W. Walker, London, 1867

Balmain Congregational Church

(drawing by Graeme Rushworth)