St Scholastica's Convent Chapel
Avenue Road, Glebe

Hill, Norman & Beard (Aust) 1931 (2/16 electro-pneumatic)

From SOJ October/November 1987:

The organ in St Scholastica's was built in 1931 by the Melbourne firm of Hill, Norman & Beard (Aust), a daughter company of the English company of the same name, tracing its artistic ancestry to the reign of William IV. St Scholastica's was amongst the first of the many instruments which the firm built and rebuilt.

In 1978 the organ was partially restored by Whitehouse Bros of Brisbane who added a second console in the transept to facilitate congregational accompaniment. The organ is located in the west gallery in a very resonant chapel. Unfortunately by the 1980s the organ required substantial repairs.

In 1987 the organ was restored by Peter D. G. Jewkes, of Sydney. The worn-out electric action was renewed, pipework cleaned and overhauled and the now redundant gallery console discarded. Two new stops were added (marked * below) to enhance the organ's liturgical role whilst ensuring that its original distinctive tone colours were preserved.

The specification is as follows:

GREAT Open Diapason I Open Diapason II Dulciana Clarabel Flute Principal Wald Flute Mixture l5.19 Swell to Great SWELL Violin Diapason Lieblich Gedackt Echo Gamba Voix Celeste (TC) Principal Oboe Octave Sub Octave Tremulant PEDAL Bourdon Dulciana Bass Flute Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal

8 8 8 8 4 4 II 8 8 8 8 4 8 16 16 8

* *

* added 1987 Peter D G Jewkes Pty Ltd

Photo MQ 2006

© PdL 2006