Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School
Great Hall (formerly St Peter's East Sydney)
215 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst

Whitehouse 1930 (formerly in Chatswood Uniting Church),
relocated 2004 (2/20 electro-pneumatic)








Photo from Rushworth's "Historic Organs of NSW"


From SOJ Winter 2005, Dr Kelvin Hastie writes:

The organ now in the SCEGGS Great Hall was built in 1930 by Whitehouse Bros., of Brisbane for the Chatswood Central Uniting (Methodist) Church. Half its cost of £1,550 was met by the donations of Mrs Hugo Treweeke and Mr J. Nicholas, Mr Nicholas also being involved in preparing the specification.

The instrument was opened on 30 November in an organ, vocal and choral recital featuring works from ''Bach to Grieg'' after which the organ was described as a ''mellow, sweet-toned instrument of good variety and considerable power''. Located in a long narrow chamber adjacent to the choir transept, the instrument was housed in an exceptionally fine case of three towers and two flats surmounted by prominent cornices and pipe shades. The German type roll-top console, connected to the instrument by tubular-pneumatic action, was located at the front of the choir, being a typical example of the type favoured by Whitehouse at the time, with block-type stopkeys and seven large preset pistons.

Like most Whitehouse organs of the period it gave sterling service to the church, although its chamber location was never ideal for tonal egress. Although the bellows was releathered in 1991, the instrument received less use and maintenance in later years, especially after it became obvious that the building faced an uncertain future - high rise and commercial developments in the Chatswood business district over-shadowing the church and alienating its community. A decision was made to relocate to Willoughby, with the organ to be restored and installed in a new multi-purpose building there.

Pitchford & Garside commenced work on the organ in 1997, using a grant of $5,000 provided by the Heritage Offce of NSW in 1996. The project included a full restoration of the sliderless ''kegellade'' type chests and the tubular-pneumatic key, stop and piston actions, using replica console components, leather membranes and pneumatic ''envelope motors'' still kept in stock by August Laukhuff of Germany, the firm which had originally supplied Whitehouse Bros. With extended delays holding up the construction of the new Willoughby building and a change of emphasis in the ministry, the church eventually opted not to accept the organ and, after an extended period in storage, it was sold to SCEGGS Darlinghurst and installed there by Darrell Pitchford in 2004. Owing to its placement on a platform in the school's Great Hall (the former St Peter's Anglican Church, East Sydney), the tubular-pneumatic action that had been restored in 1997 was electrified and a Mixture added on a new chest.

The specification of the organ is as follows:

Great
Bourdon
Open Diapason
Stop Diapason
Clarabel
Dulciana
Principal
Harmonic Flute
Mixture
Trumpet

Swell
Open Diapason
Lieblich Gedact
Echo Gamba
Voix Celeste
Gemshorn
Fifteenth
Cornopean
Oboe
Tremulant

Pedal
Bourdon
Echo Bourdon
Flute

Couplers
Swell Sub Octave
Swell Super Octave
Swell to Great Sub
Swell to Great Super
Swell to Great
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal

16
8
8
8
8
4
4
III
8


8
8
8
8
4
2
8
8



16
16
8
A






New on separate chest 2004














A


Electro-pneumatic action

Compass 61/30


3 fixed pistons to Swell
3 fixed pistons to Great
Swell to Great reversible thumb piston
Great to Pedal reversible thumb piston
























Photos: Mark Quarmby (Oct 2010)






Click here for the
Chapel Organ
Orgues Létourneau 1982, Op.4 (2/10 mechanical)