Private residence of Dr Ralph Schureck
Berowra Heights


(i) Hill (much altered) c. 1847, 2m., 17 sp.st., mech and el. mag.

(ii) Ronald Sharp Op. 2, 1961 (2/11 direct electric)

(iii) John Avery? c. 1800, 1m., 3 sp.st., tr.


From OHTA News July 2000:

On 9 December 2000 Pastor de Lasala and Michael Brimer inaugurated the renovated Hill & Son organ, now part of the Schureck Early Keyboard Collection (which also includes a Ronald Sharp organ of 1961 formerly in the Bexley North Church of Christ, and a three-stop chamber organ, reputed to be by John Avery of London, circa 1800).

The much-altered Hill organ as obtained in 1995 by Mark Fisher from Holy Trinity Church, Hoxton, Kent and its full history is not entirely clear. The programme notes for the December inauguration indicate, however, that the instrument was built with a single manual circa 1847 for a church in Hatfield, Herts., and combined in 1895 by Hill & Son (job no. 2168) with an earlier single- manual Hill organ of 1872 (job no. 1442), originally in St Peter's Upper Church, Pembury. The keyboards, divisional nameplates and builder's plate (with endolithic engraving) all clearly indicate the work of the Hill firm around the turn of the century, although the simple Gothic case of three flats is reminiscent of an earlier period.

In 1972 Percy Daniel of Clevedon made extensive alterations to the instrument, including the replacement of the Oboe with a Trompette, the alteration of the swell shutters from horizontal to vertical, the fitting of a balanced swell pedal, the supply of a new pedalboard and the electrification of the pedal division to provide additions, some by extension.

In 1992 the organ was moved from Pembury to Hoxton, pending installation in Holy Trinity Church, but soon after became redundant when the congreration regrouped elsewhere. In 1995 it was shipped to Australia and stored at North Rocks and an effort to find a buyer was mounted. It has since been renovated by Pipe Organ Reconstructions Pty Ltd who have supplied some replacement pipework for that which was either removed or missing: addidonal pipework is proposed for this much-altered but nonetheless interesting acquisition.


The specification of the organ (at December 2000) is:

GREAT
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Dulciana
Principal
Flute
Twelfth
Fifteenth

SWELL
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Saliclonal
Principal
Fifteenth
Oboe

PEDAL
Bourdon
Principal
Bass Flute
Fifteenth

COUPLERS
Swell to Great
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal

8
8
8
4
4
2-2/3
2


8
8
8
4
2
8


16
8
8
4






*
*
++
*
TC *
**
*


+
+
++
+
++
**


A*
B~
A*~
B~







* 1872
** 1872 lost and replaced 2000
+ 1895 (? Hatfield 1847)
++ Post 1895
~ 1972

Compass 56/30

Mechanical action to manuals
Electro-magnetic action to pedals
2 combination pedals each for Great and Swell

(Information from the programme prepared by Dr Ralph Schureck: Inauguration of the William Hill & Son Pipe Organ in the
Schureck Early Keyboard Collection, Saturday 9 December, 2000.)