St Paul's Lutheran Church
3 Stanley Street
E.F. Walcker & Cie., Ludwigsburg, Germany, 1887, Op. 498.
2 manuals, 8 speaking stops, 3 couplers, mechanical action
Restored and installed here in 1986 by Pitchford & Garside
From SOJ April/May 1987:
The organ was built in 1887 by E.F. Walcker & Cie. Ludwigsburg, Germany, 1887, Op. 498. It was imported and installed firstly in the home of Arthur H. Starling in Beecroft before being acquired by Crow's Nest Baptist Church. Here it was opened by George Faunce Allman on 9th September, 1914. It was moved to Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Watsons Bay in 1979 after being owned by Christopher Wagstaff who bought it from the Baptist Church. It was restored by Pitchford and Garside and installed at St Paul's Lutheran Church, Stanley St, Sydney in 1986 and was used as a teaching instrument by Sydney Grammar School from 1994 until the installation of the Mander organ in 2004. The Oboe rank is a rare example of a "free reed".
From OHTA Conference Handbook 2022 (Kelvin Hastie):This organ was supplied to Sydney music retailer, W.H. Paling in 1887. Among its various homes have been the Crows Nest Baptist Church, the residence of Christopher Wagstaff and Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Watsons Bay. It had been heavily altered over the years, including the removal of the combination action, wind trunks, concussion bellows, hand blowing apparatus, balanced swell pedal and original pedalboard. The Dulciana had been replaced by a 2’ stop, although its heavily-damaged pipes had remained in the organ. Following purchase by St Paul’s, the organ underwent a full-scale restoration by Pitchford & Garside in 1986, much of the work being carried out by Manuel da Costa, employed by the firm at that time. A significant amount of reconstruction was required to restore the organ as close as possible to its 1887 physical state.
Great
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Dulciana
Principal
Swell
Leibl. Gedeckt
Flûte
Oboë
Pedal
Bourdon
8ft
8ft
8ft
4ft
8ft
4ft
8ft
16ft
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great (foot lever operated)
Balanced Swell Pedal
Swell to Great toe pedal
Tutti toe pedal
Hand blowing mechanism is operational
Compass 56/30
Mechanical action
All photos above: Trevor Bunning (October 2022)
Photos directly above by Robert Wagner