Christ Church St Laurence Anglican Church
George Street, Railway Square
Hill & Son 1892 (3/26 mechanical and tubular-pneumatic)
From SOJ February/March 1986, Winter 2003, Winter 2006:
Christ Church has been the centre for Anglo-Catholic worship in Sydney and maintains a high musical standard. The building was consecrated in 1845 and is dominated by a tall copper spire designed by Edmund Blacket in 1856.
The first organ was destroyed by fire in 1905 before the current organ was purchased from the residence of R A Andrews of Leichhardt for £1,000. It had spent the first 15 years of its life in the concert room of Mr Andrew's Leichhardt residence "Frog Hollow". For seven years it stood at floor level in the position now occupied bby the St Laurence Chapel (where its predecessor had also stood, prior to the disastrous fire which destroyed the interior of the church's Easte end). In 1912 it was raised to its present rather unusual location on a high platform at the right hand side of the chancel. The organ was overhauled in 1966 by ST Noad and Son when tuning slides were fitted and the pedalboard was re-faced. In 1979-80 Orgues Létourneau Ltée of Québec carried out a renovation and enlargement, adding a Trombone 16 ft and Fifteenth 4ft to the Pedal using electric action. This firm replaced the Trombone in 1994.
In 2005, work was done on the organ gallery to provide better access and more room around the console and in 2006 the firm of Peter D G Jewkes Pty Ltd took the organ apart for a thorough cleaning.
Click here to download an MP3 file (7.9MB) of Michael Dudman playing the Bach B minor Fugue BWV 544 recorded 1982
Hill & Son 1892 (3/26 mechanical and tubular-pneumatic)
| Great Open Diapason Violon Diapason Hohl Flute Principal Harmonic Flute Mixture Trumpet Swell Bourdon Open Diapason Rohr Flute Salicional Principal Piccolo+ Mixture Horn Oboe Tremulant^ Choir Gamba Ducliana Lieblich Gedeckt Wald Flute Clarinet Pedal Open Diapason Bourdon Violoncello Fifteenth* Trombone* Couplers Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Choir to Pedal Swell to Great Swell to Choir |
8 8 8 4 4 III 8 16 8 8 8 4 2 III 8 8 8 8 8 4 8 16 16 8 4 16 |
3 pistons to Swell
3 pistons to Great
Great to Pedal toe lever
Mechanical action to manuals
Tubular-pneumatic action to stops and pedals
Electro-pneumatic action to pedal additions
Compass 56/30
+ replaced original Voix Celeste
* added 1979-80
^ originally added by Richardson, replaced by Létourneau
© PdL 2005