Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: exterior
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA, 2016
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: exterior
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
The present church was built in 1964-65 to the designs of architects Gordon C. Brown and Donald L. Davies, with consultant architect Eric von Schramek. It comprises a large and lofty semi-circular auditorium and a square tower at the apex of the two streets.
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: the Dodd organ opened in 1929
[photograph from Trove (1929)]
The organ at Maughan Uniting Church was built in 1928 by J.E. Dodd for the previous church building and was sited at the front of the church behind a three-tower case:
The following account appeared in The Advertiser, 11 April 1929, p.8
The new organ at the Maughan Central Mission (Maughan Church), Franklin-street, a two-manual and pedal instrument with thirty speaking stops, and tubular-pneumatic action throughout, was built by Mr. J.E. Dodd of Adelaide, to the specifications of Mr. Montague Finlay, organist and choirmaster of the church. The dedication ceremony will take place on April 18.
This instrument, the latest example of the excellence of local organ-building, is handsomely cased and replete with modern control devices, including double-touch pneumatic pistons. A wind range of couplers is provided, and the organ responds readily to every demand of the player. Diapasons are well-voiced, flutes of limpid tone, and reeds of delightful timbre. A notable feature of the pedal organ of eight stops, giving this important department a variety of tone seldom obtainable in South Australia.
| GREAT Bourdon Diapason Phonon Open Diapason Claribel Dulciana Principal Harmonic Flute Harmonic Piccolo Contra Tromba Tromba Clarion Swell to Great Sub Swell to Great Swell to Great Super |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 16 8 4 |
|||
| SWELL Lieblich Bourdon Open Diapason Hohl Flute Aeoline Angelica Octave Flauto Traverso Mixture Cornopean Oboe Vox Humana Swell Sub Swell Super Tremulant (by pedal) |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 II 8 8 8 |
|||
| PEDAL Major Bass Sub Bass Echo Bourdon Dulciana Principal Bass Flute Ophicleide Tromba Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal1 |
16 16 16 16 8 8 16 8 8 1 |
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide:
interior of present church showing organ screen and console to the left
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
The organ was rebuilt and greatly enlarged for the new church in 1965 by J.E. Dodd & Sons, Gunstar Organ Works. This included the addition of considerable upperwork, extension units and reeds. Other notable Dodd/Gunstar rebuilds carried out at around this time included Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide, Tynte Street, Baptist Church, North Adelaide and St Mary's Cathedral, Perth.
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: 1965 console
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
| GREAT Dulciana Open Diapason no 1 Open Diapason no 2 Claribel Gedact Dulciana Principal Harmonic Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture 19.22.26 Contra Tromba Tromba Octave Tromba Tuba Octave Tuba Swell to Great 16 Swell to Great 8 Swell to Great 4 Choir to Great 16 Choir to Great 8 Choir to Great 4 |
16 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 16 8 4 8 4 |
A B C A D D D G G |
||
| SWELL Lieblich Bourdon Open Diapason Hohl Flute Viol d'Orchestre Aeoline Octave Diapason Flauto Traverso Fifteenth Mixture 22.26.29 Sesquialtera 12.17 Oboe Double Trumpet Trumpet Clarion Tremulant Swell Sub Swell Super |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 III II 8 16 8 4 |
E F F F |
||
| CHOIR Dulciana Gedact Flute Viol d'Gamba Dulciana Angelica Flute Dulcet Twelfth Nazard Piccolo Tierce Larigot Dulciana Mixture 26.29 Clarinet Contra Tromba Tromba Octave Tromba Tuba Octave Tuba Tremulant Swell to Choir 16 Swell to Choir 8 Swell to Choir 4 Great to Choir 8 |
16 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2-2/3 2 1-3/5 1-1/3 II 8 16 8 4 G G |
(partly enclosed – 7 non-unified ranks on a slider windchest) A C [Bell Gamba] A TC C A A C A D D D G G |
||
| PEDAL Major Bass Sub Bass Echo Bourdon Dulciana Quint Principal Open Flute Stopped Flute Dulciana Octave Quint Fifteenth Octave Flute Mixture Trombone Tromba Octave Tromba Double Trumpet Trumpet Clarion Great to Pedal 8 Great to Pedal 4 Swell to Pedal 8 Swell to Pedal 4 Choir to Pedal 8 Choir to Pedal 4 Great & Pedal Pistons Coupled Chimes |
16 16 16 8 10-2/3 8 8 8 8 5-1/3 4 4 IV 16 8 4 16 8 4 |
H I E A I B H I A I B I D D D F F F |
Compass: 61/30
Electro-pneumatic action2
The church is now scheduled for demolition and replacement with a high-rise building. The organ is built into the structure of the building and covered by screens. While some of the pipework has been retrieved and the console, it is unlikely that it can be preserved as a whole.
For further information about this organ, please download an article written by Dr Bruce Duncan for the West Australian Organ Society's newsletter, Pipeline.
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: 1965 console – left hand stop jamb
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: 1965 console – right hand stop jamb
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: Great fluework
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: Choir fluework
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: Swell Trumpet unit
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: Dulciana and Major Bass pipework
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: Tromba pipework
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
Maughan Uniting Church, Adelaide: Pedal Mixture
[photograph by John Maidment (10 June 2016)]
1 Specification from M.J.A. Whiting collection of specifications, cited in Bruce Allan Naylor, Gazetteer of Organs in South Australia, University of Adelaide 1969, pp.55-56
2 Specification cited in Naylor, op,cit., pp.56-60 and verified on visit to church and organ by John Maidment June 2016