Newington College Chapel
Stanmore Road, Stanmore

Knud Smenge 1985, (2/17 mechanical)

From SOJ February/March 1985, August/September 1989, Winter 1995:

Newington College was established as a Methodist Boys' School in 1863 and occupied a site near Silverwater on the Parramatta River until 1880 when it moved to the present site at Stanmore. For many years the adjacent Stanmore Methodist Church was used for School Services but in 1974 the building was demolished and the 1875 William Davidson/1889 Charles Richardson pipe organ was removed for further rebuilding, being installed in the Newington Centenary Hall by Ian D. Brown in 1979 [1].

A second organ was ordered when a new Chapel was built and opened in 1984. This splendid example of modern Australian architecture was designed by Hedley, Carr Allen and Watts who received an award for their work. The organ is in ideal acoustical circumstances because the school authorities had the wisdom to invite the organbuilder (Knud Smenge) and organ consultant (Robert Ampt) to participate in discussions with the architect.

The organ was completed in 1985 by Knud Smenge, being opened in April of that year. It may be considered one of the most successful modern organs ever built in this country. The specification is:

Hauptwerk Principal Rohrflöte Octave Traversflöte Flachflöte Sesquialtera Mixture Tremulant Positiv (Brustwerk) Holzgedackt Koppelflöte Principal Nasat Cymbel Krummhorn Tremulant Pedal Subbass Gedackt Italian Principal Fagott Couplers I to Pedal II to Pedal II to I

8 8 4 4 2 II IV-V 8 4 2 1-1/3 II 8 16 8 4 16

A A

Compass 58/30
Mechanical action throughout
Balanced pedal for Swell doors [2]

1 Kelvin Hastie, "The Smenge Organ at Newington College", Sydney Organ
Journal, Vol 16, No.1, February/March 1985, pp.5-6.
2 ibid.



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