SCEGGS Darlinghurst
[Photograph by Mark Quarmby, October 2010]
SCEGGS Darlinghurst
[Photograph by Mark Quarmby, October 2010]
Historical and Technical Documentation by Kelvin Hastie
© OHTA 1989, 2005, 2016 (last updated September 2016)1
The Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School commenced in premises in Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, in 1895. In 1900 the school moved to the present site in Forbes Street, having purchased Barham House, designed by John Verge, and at one time the residence of Sir Edward Thomson. The school had no chapel until 1926 when the then main hall was converted for this purpose.2
An independent Anglican school for girls, the school's official name was changed to 'SCEGGS Darlinghurst' in 1995. The Darlinghurst campus has expanded to include the former St Peter's Anglican Church, East Sydney, which is now the Great Hall, used as part of the music centre.
Great Hall Organ.
The organ now in the SCEGGS Great Hall was built in 1930 by Whitehouse Bros of Brisbane for the Chatswood Central Uniting (formerly Methodist) Church, which was demolished in 1998. The relevant entry in the firm's ledger reads:
| New pipe organ Oak case Extra work altering position of console |
£1450 £ 102 £ 3.3 |
The Central Methodist Church, Chatswood, pre-1972
[Courtesy of Willoughby City Library Services, no. 001214]
The instrument was opened and dedicated on Saturday 30 November 1930, 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':
DEDICATION OF PIPE ORGAN
Chatswood Central Church
Ever since the erection some five years ago of their spacious and beautiful church, the trustees of the Chatswood Central Church have indulged the hope of installing a pipe organ. The erection of a modern parsonage for the superintendent minister, and attention to other urgent building enterprises, have delayed the realisation of their dreams. However, two generous subscriptions, one from Mrs. Hugo Treweeke of £500, and the other from Mr. J. Nicholas of £250, enabled the trustees, some ten months ago, to entrust to Messrs. Whitehouse Bros., of Brisbane, the task of building an organ to cost £1,550. Despite the intervening depression, the congregation has generously responded, and at the day of opening, a debt of about £400 remained. The trustees were fortunate in having Mr. Nicholas, an expert in organ construction, to advise them in the preparation of specifications. He has also been most enthusiastic and sympathetic in his supervision of its construction and installation.
The official opening and dedication last Saturday evening was marked by great enthusiasm. . . . The programme of varied music which Mr. Pickering played, served to reveal a mellow, sweet-toned instrument of good variety and very considerable power. It also revealed Mr. Pickering's capacity as a musician and master of the organ. To this music the congregation listened with much delight. At the close of the Recital there were many expressions of pleasure and appreciation. The items selected — too many to specify here — ranged from Bach to Grieg, and included quite a number of other composers' works.
The vocalists were Miss Elsie Pidcock and Miss Jean Tougher. The singing of these ladies was much appreciated. The church choir, under Mr. Hawkins, the choirmaster, sang the anthem Holy Night. In the anthem Miss Ethel Allwork was the soloist. Special services, including Organ Recitals, are to be continued for some weeks.
The morning and evening services on Sunday were conducted by Revs. H. Green and C. P. Walkden Brown, respectively. Extra seating accommodation was found necessary. At the evening service the church was crowded long before the hour of service. Mr. Pickering presided at the organ at these services, as also in the afternoon, when he gave a further recital, assisted by a choir of 40 voices, with Miss Bessie Cook, Miss Allwork, and Mr. H. Leach as soloists. Generous offerings at the dedication and Sunday services greatly encouraged the trustees, and will materially reduce their financial indebtedness.4
Located in a long narrow chamber adjacent to the choir transept, the instrument was housed in an exceptionally fine oak 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.
The New Pipe Organ, Chatswood Central Church
[The Methodist (6 December 1930), p. 6]
The specification, just two stops larger than that for the Methodist Church, Inverell (1929), was the largest of the firm's pneumatic instruments for New South Wales:
| GREAT Bourdon Open Diapason Stop Diapason Clarabel Dulciana Principal Harmonic Flute SWELL Open Diapason Lieblich Gedact Echo Gamba Voix Celeste Gemshorn Cornopean Oboe PEDAL Bourdon Echo Bourdon Flute COUPLERS Swell Sub Octave Swell Super Octave Swell to Great Sub Swell to Great Swell to Great Super Swell to Pedal Great to Pedal |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 8 8 8 8 4 8 8 16 16 8 |
A B A B |
(harmonic) [Ten.C] |
Detached stopkey console
Compass: 61/30
Balanced swell pedal
4 preset combination pistons to Great
3 preset combination pistons to Swell
Swell tremulant
Tubular-pneumatic action.5
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 that had originally supplied Whitehouse Bros.
The organ relocated to the Great Hall at SCEGGS Darlinghurst
[Photographs by Mark Quarmby, October 2010]
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. After an extended period in storage, the instrument 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, a Fifteenth 2ft was added to the Swell, a Trumpet 8ft to the Great and a Mixture added on a new chest.6
Controversy over the stylistic appropriateness of the changes and the lack of a conservation plan for the organ engendered some lively correspondence in The Sydney Organ Journal shortly afterwards.7
The Great Hall at SCEGGS Darlinghurst
(formerly St Peter's Anglican Church, East Sydney)
[Photographs by Mark Quarmby (October 2010)]
The specification of the organ is now as follows:
| Great Bourdon Open Diapason Stopped Diapason Clarabel Flute Dulciana Principal Harmonic Flute Mixture Trumpet Swell Open Diapason Lieblich Gedact Echo Gamba Voix Celeste [Ten.C] 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 [2004] [2004] [2004] A B A |
Electro-pneumatic action
Swell tremulant
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.8
Console details of the enlarged organ
[Photographs by Mark Quarmby (October 2010)]
First Chapel Organ.
A fund for the first organ in the school chapel was opened in 1926. A contract was signed with G.F. Hopkins, a nephew of Dr E.J. Hopkins of London, and some parts were ordered. Following Hopkins' death, the organ was completed in 1935 by Thomas Charles Edwards, a former appentice of Charles Richardson of Sydney.9
The organ was opened by Victor Massey, organist of All Saints' Church, Woollahra. There was provision for reeds to be added to the Swell and Pedal, but these were never installed:
| Great Open Diapason Salicional Salicet Harmonic Flute Swell Violin Diapason Hohl Flute Viol d'Orchestre Voix Celeste Gemshorn Pedal Bourdon Bass Flute Couplers Sell Octave Swell Sub-Octave Swell to Great Swell to Pedal Great to Pedal |
8 8 4 4 8 8 8 8 4 16 8 |
Swell tremulant
Detached console
Tubular-pneumatic action.10
The instrument was removed around 1982.
Present Chapel Organ.
The present chapel organ was built by Orgues Létourneau Ltée, Quebec, Canada, as their Opus 4 and opened in August 1982 with a recital by Neil Cameron.11
The Létourneau organ of 1982
[Photograph by Alan Caradus, September 2016]
The builder's nameplate
[Photograph by Alan Caradus, September 2016])
Flat, parallel and wide Pedalboard, Drawstop and Pipework details
[Photographs by Alan Caradus, September 2016])
| Great Chimney Flute Principal Cornet Mixture Positive (enclosed) Gedackt Spire Flute Principal Trichter Regal Pedal Subass Bordun Couplers Positive to Great Positive to Pedal Great to Pedal |
|
Mechanical action
Pedalboard: flat parallel
Compass 58/30.12
SCEGGS Chapel
[Photograph by Alan Caradus, September 2016])
_______________
1 Most of the documentation provided here for the Great Hall organ was first published as: Kelvin Hastie, 'Organ Ramble in Chatswood,' The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 20, no. 1 (February/March 1989), pp. 17-18; and Kelvin Hastie, 'SCEGGS Great Hall,' The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 36, no. 3 (Winter 2005), p. 28.
2 Neil Cameron, 'Organs of SCEGGS Darlinghurst,' The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 14, no. 5 (October/November 1983), p. 5.
3 Whitehouse Bros Ledger (1922-1940), p. 492.
4 The Methodist (6 December 1930), p. 6.
5 Specification reproduced in The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 34, no. 1 (Summer 2002-03), p. 27, supplied originally by Robert Wallace to John Maidment, December 1970, from the opening recital programme; and from John Maidment to Kelvin Hastie, December 1988. Additional details of duplexing supplied Peter Jewkes, August 2016.
6 Further details in: Kelvin Hastie, 'Redundant Whitehouse Organ Available,' The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 34, no. 1 (Summer 2002-03), p. 27; and in Kelvin Hastie, 'Whitehouse in New South Wales: What Survives?' OHTA News, vol. 32, no. 2 (April 2008), pp. 18, 20.
7 Kelvin Hastie, 'The Destruction of Diversity: Lost Sounds – Part II,' The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 37, no. 4 (Spring 2006), p. 58; subsequent correspondence in vol. 38, no. 1 (Summer 2006-07), pp. 10 & vol. 38, no 2 (Autumn 2007), pp. 6-7.
8 Specification noted by Mark Quarmby, October 2010. Details of duplexing supplied Peter Jewkes, August 2016.
9 Australian Christian World (27 June 1930), p. 21, cited in Graeme Rushworth, Historic Organs of New South Wales (Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1978), pp. 174-75; Rushworth gives the date as 1931, but Cameron, op. cit., p. 5 gives 1935. An obituary for Hopkins appeared in The Mercury (Hobart, 14 June 1934), p. 5.
10 Cameron, op. cit., p. 5; Details confirmed by Peter Jewkes, September 2016.
11 Cameron, op. cit., pp. 6-7.
12 The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 36, no. 3 (Winter 2005), p. 28. The specification is given using French nomenclature on the Létourneau website.