Presbyterian Church, South Yarra: exterior from north-east
[photograph by Rohan Storey (June 2019)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA 2019 (last updated June 2019)
Presbyterian Church, South Yarra: exterior from north-east
[photograph by Rohan Storey (June 2019)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA 2019 (last updated June 2019)
The foundation stone of the present church, designed by prominent architect Lloyd Tayler, was laid on 14 November 1865.1 Opening services took place on 28 December 1866.2 The building was constructed from bluestone with Barrabool-hill freestone dressings. The style was termed "early Decorated Gothic" and incorporated a nave 77 feet in length and 24 feet wide, together with two aisles 77 feet long and 17 feet 3 inches wide. The design incorporated a tower and broach spire 175 feet high, which were omitted owing to cost. The initial cost was around £5,000. The interior furnishings were constructed from cedar and a stained glass window depicting the burning bush was placed high up at the west end.3
Presbyterian Church, South Yarra: Lloyd Tayler's design with tower and spire
[The Australian News for Home Readers (23 December 1865), engraver Frederick Grosse]
Presbyterian Church, South Yarra: organ
[photograph by Rohan Storey (June 2019)]
The organ was built by George Fincham in 1887. It had two manuals, 16 speaking stops, three couplers and tubular-pneumatic action.4 The casework design appears to have been copied from an organ built by Fincham's rival Alfred Fuller, most likely the instrument in Cairns Memorial Presbyterian Church, East Melbourne, with identical case posts and finials and tower corbels and similar case decoration, although with a panelled screen in the centre.5 The instrument was opened on Thursday 2 June with an organ recital and sacred concert:
SOUTH YARRA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
Punt-road.
Re-opening of Church after Gothic Decorations, &c.,
And Opening of New Organ.
ORGAN RECITAL and SACRED CONCERT
On THURSDAY EVENING, 2nd JUNE,
At 8 p.m.
Organist, Mr. T. J. Hammond.6
Notice of the opening had appeared in The Herald on the previous day:
We are requested to draw attention to an advertisement appearing in another column relating to the South Yarra Presbyterian Church, Punt road. During the past six weeks the interior of the building has undergone a thorough overhaul, and it now presents a very pleasing appearance, the decorations being tasteful in design and colour. This appearance is very much enhanced by the addition of an extremely handsome organ built by Mr G. Fincham, the gift of Mrs Barron, a member of the congregation. An organ recital and sacred concert is to take place in the church to-morrow evening, commencing at 8 o'clock, to celebrate the opening of the new organ; and, judging from the programme before us, a musical treat of exceptional merit is in store for the people of South Yarra. On the Sunday following special re-opening services are to be held morning and evening.7
A review of the event appeared in the same newspaper on the day following:
A very large audience attended at the South Yarra Presbyterian Church last evening, on the occasion of the opening of the new organ built expressly for the church by Mr G. Fincham, of Richmond. A varied programme consisting of vocal numbers, by the members of the united choir of South Yarra and West Melbourne Presbyterian Churches assisted by Mrs Mortimer, Mr A. Hackett, Mr Gladstone Wright and several others, and accompanied on the organ by Mr T. J. Hammond. The latter gentleman also contributed several organ solos from the Messiah, Creation and a couple of selections by Batiste and Mendelssohn concluding with the March Romaine of Gounod. The tone and construction of the instrument seemed quite satisfactory and in power and combination sufficiently extensive to meet the requirements of the best compositions. A slight harshness was discernible in some stops owing to the newness of structure. Age however is expected to remedy this. Mr Hammond was eminently successful in exposing the whole capabilities of the instrument by the artistic manner in which the programme was rendered.8
In 1907, the organ was rebuilt and enlarged by Geo. Fincham & Son. The Swell Open Diapason was completed through the addition of a bottom octave, the Great Mixture and Trumpet were revoiced and transferred to the Swell, and a Loud Gamba 8ft and Clarinet 8ft took their place. A Voix Celeste 8ft was added to the Swell together with a tremulant, a Bourdon to the Pedal Organ, and Swell to Great Sub and Super couplers were introduced.9
In 1954, the action was converted to electro-pneumatic and a new detached stopkey console provided, the work carried out by Geo. Fincham & Sons Pty Ltd. No tonal alterations took place. The organ survives in this state today.
| GREAT Open Diapason Gamba Claribel Dulciana Octave Flute Fifteenth Clarinet Swell to Great Sub Swell to Great Swell to Great Super SWELL Double Diapason Open Diapason Stopped Diapason Keraulophon Voix Celeste Gemshorn Flautino Mixture Trumpet Oboe Sub Octave Super Octave Tremulant PEDAL Open Diapason Bourdon Bass Flute Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal |
8 8 8 8 4 4 2 8 16 8 8 8 8 4 2 III 8 8 16 16 8 |
1907 1907 1907 1907 1-12 1907 TC 1907 Ex Great Ex Great 1907 1907 1907 A 1907 A 1954 |
Compass: 61/30
Detached stopkey console
Electro-pneumatic action.10
1 The Age (15 November 1865), p. 6.
2 ibid. (29 December 1866), p. 6.
3 loc. cit.
4 George Fincham letters 5/286, 13/398, cited by E.N. Matthews, Colonial Organs and Organbuilders (Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 1969), p. 154.
5 Observation by John Maidment.
6 The Age (2 June 1887), p. 1.
7 The Herald (1 June 1877), p. 2.
8 The Herald (3 June 1877), p. 2.
9 George Fincham letters, 16, sheet 11, cited by Matthews, op. cit., p. 154.
10 Specification noted 1966 John Maidment.
Presbyterian Church, South Yarra: church interior
[photograph by Rohan Storey (June 2019)]
Presbyterian Church, South Yarra: close up view of organ
[photograph by Rohan Storey (June 2019)]