St John’s Anglican Church

Halifax Street, Adelaide

First organ: Samuel Marshall 1848, now at St Aidan’s Church, Payneham
Second organ: J.W. Wolff 1875 enlarged Fincham & Hobday 1888
Present organ: J.E. Dodd 1901, rebuilt 1965 J.E. Dodd & Sons Gunstar Organ Works,
restored 1996 George Stephens Pty Ltd.
2 manuals, 21 speaking stops, 5 couplers, mechanical action
Second organ: J.H. Fray 1897
1 manual, 6 speaking stops, 1 coupler, mechanical action



St John’s Church, Halifax Street, Adelaide – exterior
[photograph by Simon Colvin (October 2019)]


Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA, 2019 (last updated October 2019)


The foundation stone of the present church, designed by R. Garlick Holwell, was laid in May 1887. The building is 120 feet long and provides seating for 500 people.1 It is constructed from stone with brick dressings and consists of a single unaisled nave and chancel, without transepts. The narthex incorporates stained glass from Morris & Co.

The first pipe organ was built in 1848 by Samuel Marshall; this survives in altered state at St Aidan’s Anglican Church, Payneham.2 The second organ was built by J.W. Wolff in 1875.3 It was enlarged by Fincham & Hobday in 1888.4



St John’s Church, Halifax Street, Adelaide – organ
[photograph by Simon Colvin (October 2019)]

The present organ was built by J.E. Dodd and opened on 20 December 1901. Costing £700, it was a two-manual instrument with mechanical action.5 This was rebuilt with electro-pneumatic action in 1965 by J.E. Dodd & Sons Gunstar Organ Works. In 1996, George Stephens reconstructed the mechanical action and built a new console in the style of Dodd.

GREAT
Open Diapason
Claribel
Lieblich Gedact
Dulciana
Principal
Wald Flute
Twelfth
Fifteenth
Swell to Great
8
8
8
8
4
4
2-2/3
2






1965, originally a Clarionet 8
SWELL
Lieblich Bourdon
Geigen Principal
Hohl Flute
Viol d’Orchestre
Gemshorn
Flauto Traverso
Mixture
Cornopean
Oboe
Swell Sub Octave
Swell Super Octave
16
8
8
8
4
4
III
8
8












PEDAL
Open Diapason
Bourdon
Open Flute
Stopped Flute
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
16
16
8
8
A
B
A
B

Compass: 56/30
Mechanical key and stop action
3 composition pedals to Great
2 composition pedals to Swell
Balanced swell pedal
Attached drawstop console6



St John’s Church, Halifax Street, Adelaide – console
[photograph by John Maidment (October 2009)]




St John’s Church, Halifax Street, Adelaide – Fray organ
[photograph by Simon Colvin (October 2019)]

The second organ in the church, placed at the west end, was built in 1897 by John Hill Fray, of Rundle Street, who was a British-born organ teacher and composer who later moved to New Zealand where he was Organist of Napier Cathedral.7 The instrument utilised mechanical components supplied by J.E. Dodd and has a kauri case. It was opened at St Mary Magdalene’s Church in central Adelaide on 23 September 18978 and was later placed at Eastwood Methodist Church by Victor Weber and Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Prospect, before being purchased by Michael Cant in 1968 who later donated it to St John’s Church.

MANUAL
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Dulciana
Principal
Fifteenth
Tremulant

PEDAL
Bourdon
Manual to Pedal
8
8
8
4
2



16

 (enclosed except façade pipes)


TC

Compass: 56/30
Mechanical key and stop action
Balanced swell pedal
Attached drawstop console9

1 Evening Journal, 15 May 1887, p.2

2 See https://ohta.org.au/organs/organs/PaynehamAng.html accessed 1 August 2019

3 Advertiser, 21 August 1875

4 Vestry minutes, reported in Register, 19 April 1888

5 The Register, 23 December 1901, p.6

6 Organ Historical Trust of Australia 22nd annual conference 1-6 October 1999, pp.11, p.13

7 http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc06Cycl-t1-body1-d2-d15-d5.html accessed 4 May 2019

8 South Australian Register, 24 September 1897, p.3

9 Organ Historical Trust of Australia 22nd annual conference 1-6 October 1999, pp.11, p.13









St John’s Church, Halifax Street, Adelaide – Fray console
[photographs by Simon Colvin (October 2019)]