St Ninian's Uniting Church
cnr Mouat & Brigalow Streets, Lyneham, ACT

 1984 Anthony Welby, 2m., 16 sp.st., 3c., 3 rks ext., el.




From: An Overview of the Pipe Organs of Canberra. Compiled by Geoffrey Wells with the help of many of the incumbent organists, priests and ministers, Trevor Bunning and many others. The Church booklets have also provided much background information."Printed by Christ Church (Anglican) Parish, Queanbeyan.


THE CHURCH

The oldest part of the stone church was constructed in 1873, replacing a wooden church with a bark roof and earthen floor somewhere on the same site. It was Presbyterian, serving the needs of the Scottish farmers with small holdings in the district.

The building has been extended twice - first about 1900 and again in 1979, but it has not been in continuous use for worship all that time. In 1920 the church was closed and used as a barn until the early 1940's, when, with the city growing around about, it was cleaned out, repaired, rededicated and named after St. Ninian.

With the inauguration of the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, St Ninian's became a Uniting Church.



THE ORGAN

The music of the church was served by a succession of reed organs followed by a small electronic. After the extension of the building in 1979, it became apparent that this instrument was inadequate for the building and, in any case, reaching the end of its usefulness. The construction of a pipe organ was commenced on 1984 and completed on 1985, the builder being Anthony Welby.

There are three ranks (Open Diapason, Stopped Diapason, Salicional) extended to give the following stop list:

MANUAL 1
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Salicional
Principal
Nazard
Flageolet

MANUAL 2
Stopped Diapason
Salicional
Nason Flute
Salicet
Principal
Larigot
Octave

PEDAL
Bourdon
Bass Flute
Principal

COUPLERS
Manual 2 to 1
Manual 1 to Pedal
Manual 2 to Pedal

8
8
8
4
2-2/3
2


8
8
4
2
2
1-1/3
1


16
8
4


All pipework is under expression in a common swell box.

Thumb pistons were added in 1994: divisional - 3 to each manual, General - 3. Reversible - on couplers.





Photos by Trevor Bunning