Photo: Neil Palmer (on Facebook March 2025)
Photo: Neil Palmer (on Facebook March 2025)
The organ is of English origin and probably dates from the 1850s. There is no builder's plate and it has been difficult to identify the builder. It was installed at St John's Church, Sorrento, Vic in 1924 by George Fincham & Sons and came from St Andrew's Anglican Church, Clifton Hill, where it was replaced by a larger Fincham instrument from All Saints' Anglican Church, East St Kilda. It was the gift of Clements Langford in memory of his wife.2 The instrument was of interest for its attractive casework (later overpainted in white), with overhang, attractive cornice mouldings and three towers with ogee arches containing stencilled dummy pipes. The casework, originally varnished but subsequently overpainted on several occasions, may not belong to the internal parts of the instrument.3
The drawknobs retain their original script engraving, without pitch designations, and a tapered Bell Gamba is placed on the front slide. Restoration work was carried out in 1964 by Davis & Laurie and in 1980 by R.J. Heatley at which time some of the console woodwork, including the music desk, was replaced and the compass of the Pedal Bourdon extended.4
| MANUAL Open Diapason St Bafs St. Treble Principal Flute Fifteenth Gamba Manuel to Pedals PEDAL Bourdon |
[8] [8] [8] [4] [4] [2] [8] [sic] [16] |
CC-BB TC TC TC orig CC-C only |
Compass: 54/24
Mechanical action
Trigger swell lever.5
The organ was dismantled by Hargraves Pipe Organs in 2019 and then placed in storage. It was installed at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Forestville, NSW in 2023 by Hargraves Pipe Organs.
Photos: Neil Palmer (on Facebook March 2025)
Photos above: Murray Allen (April 2025)