St Peter's Anglican Church

Hammad Street, Palmyra

Unknown builder, possibly W. Beales & Co, Croydon, UK
Installed 1902 Congregational Church hall, Claremont
Installed 1905 Congregational Church, Claremont
Installed after 1976 Methodist Ladies College, Claremont
Installed present location 1984 F.J. Larner & Co.
Restored 1995 Pipe Organ Builders and Services
1 manual, 5 speaking stops, mechanical action




St Peter's Church, Palmyra: exterior
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (11 April 2012)]

Historical and Technical Documentation by Patrick Elms and Colin van der Lecq
© OHTA 2012 (last updated May 2012)


This lofty, modern, brick building was built in 1970 and reflects architectural thinking of the time.

There are four plaques within the church to commemorate ANZAC losses in The Great War. Two of these plaques were transferred from inside St Peters Church, East Fremantle, when it was closed and the other two were originally at the base of two pencil pines outside that church.



St Peter's Church, Palmyra: interior
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (11 April 2012)]

The organ was built in England in the late 19th century. The builder is unknown although it is known that the English organbuilder W. Beales & Co, Croydon, worked on it at some stage, as papers labelled Beales & Co were used as shims within the organ. It was first installed in the Congregational Church Hall, Claremont, in 1902, and in the church itself in 1905. It was removed sometime after 1976 and installed in Methodist Ladies College, Claremont.1 It was then obtained by St Peter's and installed in the Church in 1984 by F.J. Larner & Co.2 It was restored by Pipe Organ Builders and Services in 1995. The original front pipe stencilling was restored by Pipe Organs W.A. Pty Ltd in 2011.



St Peter's Church, Palmyra: organ
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (11 April 2012)]




St Peter's Church, Palmyra: console
[Photograph by John Maidment (11 April 2012)]

The tongue and groove boarding used behind the music desk may offer a guide to the builder, together with the shape and style of the music desk. There is no internal evidence of the builder.

MANUAL
Open Diapason
Stop Diapason
Dulciana
Principal
Fifteenth

PEDAL
Pulldowns

8
8
8
4
2



   

Compass: 56/303
Mechanical key and stop action


 



St Peter's Church, Palmyra: detail of pipe stencilling
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (11 April 2012)]




St Peter's Church, Palmyra: internal pipework
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (11 April 2012)]




St Peter's Church, Palmyra: drawstop engraving
[Photograph by Trevor Bunning (11 April 2012)]



1 Website http://www.oswa.org.au/WAOrgans/PalmyraSsPeterMark.html accessed 19 February 2012

2 From the organist Fred Grosvenor

3 Website http://www.oswa.org.au/WAOrgans/PalmyraSsPeterMark.html accessed 15 February 2012