St Stephen's Uniting Church (formerly Presbyterian)
197 Macquarie Street

Hill, Norman & Beard 1934 (3/44 electric with several prepared for stops)

Click here for the church's website www.ssms.org.au

The present St Stephen's Church, formerly Presbyterian, was opened in 1935 and replaced an earlier building in Phillip Street and an even earlier prefabricated "Iron Church" in Macquarie Street near the present site. The organ was built by Hill, Norman & Beard in 1934, replacing a 1879 two manual Henry Willis & Sons organ from the previous church which was moved by Hill, Norman & Beard in 1934 to Armidale Uniting (Methodist) Church. The Phillip Street church was opened in 1857 in neo-Romantic style; the building was completed in 1866 and the tower and spire were added in 1875. The interior of the church was spacious with a gallery on three sides. There is no record of an organ present before the Willis which was located in the west gallery. The case was in Scottish ecclesiastical style with three towers and flats of display pipes arranged 3 - 12 - 3 - 12 - 3.

The former St Stephen's Presbyterian Church in Phillip Street



The Willis organ in the rear gallery

(Two photos above from St Stephen's church display)




The Willis organ now in Armidale Uniting Church (Trevor Bunning 2007)

The specification is as follows:

Henry Willis 1879 (2/15 mechanical) ^

GREAT
Open Diapason	8
Claribel Flute	8
Dulciana	8
Principal	4
Flûte harmonique	4
Fifteenth	2
Clarionet	8
SWELL
Diapason	8
Lieblich Gedact	8
Salicional	8
Vox Angelica	8
Gemshorn	4
Cornopean	8
Tremulant
PEDALS
Open Diapason	16
Bourdon	16

COUPLERS
Swell to Great
Great to Pedals
Swell to Pedals

Mechanical action throughout

Compass 56/30

 

Hill, Norman & Beard 1934

The present church and instrument were opened on 23rd March, 1935. Its specification had been drawn up with the consultation of George Faunce Allman (organist of St James', King St). The stop list included a Tromba and a Phonon Diapason on the Great, these being duplexed to the Choir so it could be used as a Solo division. There was also a stop rarely found on organs in Australia - a Doppel Flute 8'. Of three manuals and 48 stops, this instrument was contained in an imposing Art Deco/neo-Gothic case of Queensland maple displaying towers of pipes with bronze finish. The detached console was equipped with circular stop buttons mounted on angled jambs; these illuminated in the "on" position and were activated by the merest touch. In less than 20 years after this organ was built, many faults had developed in the electro-pneumatic action, as well as runnings in the windchests. These defects were corrected by H, N & B in 1953, and since 1970, Pitchford and Garside have rebuilt the console (removing the illuminating stops) and effected tonal alterations to create a more classical specification.


The 1934 specification provided by Stuart Garside was:

Great Double Open Diapason Phonon Diapason Open Diapason Doppel Flute Viola Principal Octave Diapason Claribel Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture Tromba Swell Contra Viol Open Diapason Concert Flute Viol d'Orchestre Celeste Octave Harmonic Flute Harmonic Piccolo Dulciana Mixture Contra Fagotto Fagotto Trumpet Vox Humana Choir Double Dulciana Phonon Diapason Open Diapason Lieblich Gedact Dulciana Vox Angelica Harmonic Flute Dulcet Dulcet Twelfth Dulcet Fifteenth Dulcet Tierce Clarinet Tromba Vox Humana Pedal Harmonic Bass Major Bass Open Diapason Contra Viol Bourdon Dulciana Octave Cello Contra Fagotto Couplers Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Choir to Pedal Swell to Great Choir to Great Swell to Choir Swell Octave Swell Sub Octave Swell to Great Octave Swell to Great Sub Octave Swell to Choir Octave Swell Sub Octave to Choir Choir Octave Choir Sub Octave Choir to Great Octave Choir to Great Sub Octave

16 8 8 8 8 4 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 8 16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 III 16 8 8 8 16 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 1-3/5 8 8 8 32 16 16 16 16 16 8 8 16

D A D H B C C I E A E E E E E H I F + G? F D B G E D E or B? C

From the church's web site:

The Organ in St Stephen's Uniting Church was built in 1934 by the Australian firm Hill, Norman and Beard. It consists of 44 stops (with 3 extra stops 'prepared for') and holds within its chamber approximately 3,500 pipes.

During the 1970's, a number of changes were made to the organ, bringing it into line with the neo-Baroque style prevalent during that time. Some of these changes included:
• a new Scharf Mixture for the Choir organ;
• a new 4' Principal rank for the Great organ. The old 4' Principal rank became the new 2' Fifteenth, with the old 2' rank becoming the new Tweflth;
• the Phonon Diapason was sold, and the Choir Diapason was moved to the Great soundboard in place of this;
• the Swell 8' Trumpet was moved to the Great, with the old Great Tromba moving to the swell at 4' pitch. (In recent years, the 4' Trumpet was returned to its original 8' pitch but is only from tenor C);
• a 16' Posaune and a 4' Schalmei were added to the Pedal department;
• a new Mixture was provided for the Swell, with the old Mixture being used to create the new Swell Larigot, Twelfth and Fifteenth;
• removal of the Celeste and Vox Humana from the Swell division;
• removal of Choir Clarinet. (This was intended to have been replaced with the Krummhorn, which is currently “prepared” but not installed);
• removal of the 32’ Harmonic Bass from the Pedal division;
• an Octave 4' was added to the Pedal and extended to form a Principal 2'. The Principal 2' was removed in 2009 to use the stop knob for the reconnected Resultant Bass 32';
• a Pedal Mixture was added.

Photo: MQ (Jan 2010)

Hill, Norman & Beard 1934 (3/44 electric with several prepared for stops) *

Great Double Diapason Open Diapason Phonon Diapason Doppell Flute (sic) Viol d'Orchestre Principal Clarabel Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture Tromba Swell Contra Viol Open Diapason Concert Flute Viol d'Orchestre Voix Celeste Octave Harmonic Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture Contra Fagotto Fagotto Trumpet Choir (unenclosed) Phonon Diapason Lieblich Gedeckt Dulciana Harmonic Flute Dulcet Nazard Fifteenth Tierce Scharf Sifflote Krummhorn Pedal Resultant Bass Major Bass Open Diapason Bourdon Dulciana Contra Viol Octave Octave Diapason Mixture Posaune Contra Fagotto Schalmei

16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 IV 8 16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 16 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 1-3/5 II 1 8 32 16 16 16 16 16 8 4 II 16 16 4

D D A (ex Choir Open Diapason 1974-6 Pitchford & Garside - former Phonon pipes removed and sold) (new Pitchford & Garside 1974-6) (ex Great Fifteenth 1974-6 Pitchford & Garside) (ex Great Principal 1974-6 Pitchford & Garside) prepared for (ex Swell Trumpet 1974-6 Pitchford & Garside) B (added Darrell Pitchford 2010 in place of Larigot 1-1/3 - ex Swell HNB Mixture 1974-6) (ex Swell HNB Mixture - Pitchford & Garside 1974-6) (ex Swell HNB Mixture - Pitchford & Garside 1974-6) (New - Pitchford & Garside 1974-6) C C TC (ex Great Tromba first transposed as a 4' - 1974-6 Pitchford & Garside. Bottom octave now missing) A (ex Choir Open Diapason 1974-6 Pitchford & Garside - former Phonon pipes removed and sold) E E TC (Pitchford & Garside 1974-6 - new pipework or ex Swell Harmonic Piccolo 2'?) (Pitchford & Garside 1974-6 - new pipework or ex Great HNB Twelth?) E (added - Pitchford & Garside 1974-6) prepared for prepared for F + G (reconnected Darrell Pitchford Dec 2009 in place of Principal 2') F D G E B F (added Pitchford & Garside 1974-6 and extended to Principal 2' - ex Great Octave Diapason 4'?) (added Pitchford & Garside c. 1980) (added Pitchford & Garside 1974-6 - pipes from Carl Giesecke und Sohn, Germany) C (added Pitchford & Garside 1981)

Swell to Great
Swell Octave to Great
Swell Sub Octave to Great
Choir to Great
Swell to Choir
Swell Octave to Choir
Swell Octave
Swell Sub Octave
Choir Octave
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Choir to Pedal

5 pistons to Great
5 pistons to Swell
5 pistons to Choir
5 pistons to Pedal

Great to Pedal reversible toe piston
Swell to Pedal reversible toe piston
Swell to Great reversible toe piston

Great to Pedal reversible thumb piston
Swell to Great reversible thumb piston

Swell tremulant (rocker tab on left Swell key cheek) - not installed
Choir tremulant (rocker tab on left Choir key cheek) - not installed

Photos: Mark Quarmby
Photo: Simon Colvin
Photo: Simon Colvin

Photo: MQ (Jan 2010)

^ Information from Historic Organs of NSW, G Rushworth 1988

* Changes to the organ noted from the Sydney Organ Journal March 1970, May 1976, Dec 1976, Feb 1978 and Dec/Jan 1981-2 with obvious corrections noted by St Stephen's organists Daniel Dries, Peter Guy and Mark Quarmby


Photos by Daniel Mitterdorfer 2006