St Thomas' the Apostle Catholic Church

Melville Street, Claremont

J.E. Dodd 1912 for Epworth Methodist Church, Parkside, South Australia
Installed 2003 Patrick Elms & Co, Albany
2 manuals, 22 speaking stops, 4 couplers, tubular-pneumatic action (mechanical coupling)

St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Claremont
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (May 2012)]

Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA 2004, 2013 (last updated July 2013)

The Church consists of a nave built in neo–gothic style in 1936 designed by Edgar Le B. Henderson.  Growth in the Parish meant that by the postwar period it was too small for an expanding congregation and a modern sanctuary, designed by parishioner Brian Jackson, was built onto the existing nave in 1963.  The sanctuary was completely carpeted until a piece of carpet had to be removed in order to place the frame of the organ.  It was then found that the floor underneath was of timber parquetry, on which the carpet was removed completely and the parquetry polished.

The 1912 J.E. Dodd organ
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (May 2012)]

The organ was built by J.E. Dodd for Epworth Methodist (later Uniting) Church, Parkside, South Australia where it was opened by Dr E. Harold Davies on 27 November 1912.  Following some years when the organ was out of use, the building and instrument became redundant.  St Thomas' discovered the organ through the OHTA redundant organ listing. 

The organ was erected in St Thomas' Church by Patrick Elms and Co. of Albany in 2003, unaltered except for a restoration of the primary pneumatic action including the provision of new polyethylene tubing replacing the original lead tubing which was destroyed when the organ was dismantled for storage in Adelaide.  All windchest pallets and pulldown motors were releathered throughout and the swell and great slider motors were restored.  The three bellows have since been re-leathered and the console has been completely restored.

This is a highly significant example of Dodd's work, built when he was at the height of his career and incorporates outstanding examples of flue and reed voicing;  the strings are likely to be the work of the UK artist Carlton C. Michell, with reeds from Alfred Palmer & Sons.

Console of the 1912 J.E. Dodd organ
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (May 2012)]

Compass:  58/30

Detached drawknob console

Tubular–pneumatic key and stop actions, with mechanical coupling in console

3 thumb pistons to Great and Swell

4 toe levers:  Full Swell,  Full Great, Full Organ and Tremulant

Balanced swell pedal

[Photographs by Trevor Bunning (May 2012)]