St Saviour's Anglican Cathedral
Goulburn
Forster & Andrews, Hull, 1884
3 manuals, 37 speaking stops, tub. pn action
Restored 1978-9 Brown and Arkley (action electrified)
Click on any photo to see an enlarged version.
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St Saviour's is one of the most beautiful provincial cathedrals in Australia. It was designed by Edmund Blacket in Gothic Revival style and opened in April 1884. The exterior is of Bundanoon sandstone and the interior is noted for its elaborate stone tracery and marvellous east window. The furnishings are of particular interest, especially the carved Bishop's throne. The tower, completed as a Bicentennial project in 1988, was built in accordance with the original design and houses a peal of bells dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. [ 1]
The organ was built in 1884 by Forster & Andrews of Hull and was originally placed in the west gallery. There is substantial evidence to suggest that Edmund Blacket contributed significantly to the design of the instrument and to the choice of builder. Construction of the organ was supervised by Dr E.J. Hopkins for a fee of £33.10.6d, while the price paid to Forster & Andrews was £1,341. [2]
The original action was mechanical with pneumatic lever to the Great and Swell. In 1902 the organ was moved from the gallery to its present position in the chancel end of the south aisle, where it was reconfigured and provided with tubular-pneumatic action by Frederick Taylor of Melbourne. In 1908 Taylor completed the construction of display pipes to fill the space above the console in the chancel arch, the original case being erected in the transept. In 1978 the organ was rebuilt by Brown & Arkley of Sydney who, among other things, restored the soundboards, pipework and console area, while installing a new electro-pneumatic action. Several missing ranks among the Great and Swell mixtures were replaced and the Swell Oboe was restored to 8' pitch. [3]
In recent years a number of repared-for ranks in the oniginal scheme have been supplied by Ian Brown & Associates. The Great Gamba 8' was installed in 1997 as a memorial to Jeni Barringer, Cathedral Organist for a number of years before her death in March 1996, and the Great Clarion 4' was supplied in 1998, following repairs by Australian Pipe Organs of Melbourne. Both these ranks, made by Forster & Andrews in 1881 were originally located in the former organ at the Great Hall, University of Sydney. [4]
The remaining "prepared for" stops were added in 2006.
GREAT
Double Open Diapason
Open Diapason No. 1
Open Diapason No.2
Gamba (1997)
Stopped Diapason
Principal
Harmonic Flute
Twelfth
Fifteenth
Mixture 15.19.22.26.29.
Trumpet
Clarion (1998)
SWELL
Bourdon
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Saficional
Voix Celestes (from c')
Principal
Fifteenth
Dulciana Cornet 17.19.22.
Double Bassoon (2006)
Horn
Oboe
Clarion
tremulant
CHOIR
Dulciana
Pierced Gamba
Lieblich Gedact
Gemshorn
Stopped Flute (2006)
Flautino
Corno di Bassetto
Vox Humana (2006)
PEDAL
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Principal
Bass Flute
Posaune
COUPLERS
Swell to Great
Choir to Great
Swell to Choir
Swell to Pedals
Great to Pedals
Choir to Pedals [5]
16
8
8
8
8
4
4
2-2/3
2
V
8
4
16
8
8
8
8
4
2
III
16
8
8
4
8
8
8
4
4
2
8
8
16
16
8
8
16
[1] Organ Historical Trust of Australia New South Wales: the state of organ preservation. Conference booklet, 8-15 July 1988, 42-43.
[2] Graeme Rushworth, Historic Organs of New South Wales, 248.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Hunter District Organ Music Society, Newsletter 21/7 (February 1998): 11
[5] Rushworth, ibid.
© PdL 2006
[Four photographs above: Pastor de Lasala, September 2016]
[Five photographs of pipework above supplied by Ian Brown (March 2021)]
