St Matthew's Uniting Church

Scallan Street, Stawell

Built by J.E. Dodd 1920
Rebuilt by Laurie Pipe Organs Pty Ltd 1979-80
2 manuals, 16 speaking stops, 4 couplers, electro-pneumatic action





St Matthew's Uniting Church, Stawell: façade facing Scallan Street
[photograph by John Maidment (9 October 2012)]


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

 

St Matthew's Presbyterian Church was built in 1868-69 to the design of architect Robert Alexander Love. The foundation stone was laid in May 1868 and the building opened in May 1869. It was constructed from brick on granite foundations. The building consists of a spacious nave, designed for the receipt of side galleries that were never added, with an elaborate roof supported on scissor trusses. The exterior is dominated by the tall tower and octagonal spire, 133 feet in height.1 There are many stained glass windows including two by Ferguson & Urie, one of three lights behind the organ (sadly bricked up) and another on the right hand side of the nave. None have any identification marks.



St Matthew's Uniting Church, Stawell: interior showing the organ
[photograph by John Maidment (16 January 2013)]

The organ was built in 1920 by the Adelaide organbuilder J.E. Dodd and dedicated in February 1921. It was built at a cost of around £900 as the congregation's thank offering for peace and victory in the recent war.2 It was constructed with tubular-pneumatic action and centrally placed in the building, which enjoys excellent acoustics. The pipework of the instrument is very amply scaled and produces the effect of a very large organ. The bottom octave of the Pedal Subbass is placed on the sides of the case, which follows Dodd's very distinctive design precepts, with an elevated central tower containing narrow-scale string pipes.



St Matthew's Uniting Church, Stawell: organ case
[photograph by John Maidment (16 January 2013)]

GREAT
Bourdon
Open Diapason
Hohl Flute
Dulciana
Principal
Wald Flute
Super Octave
Swell to Great

SWELL
Open Diapason
Gedact
Gamba
Celeste
Gemshorn
Horn
Tremulant
Sub Octave
Octave

PEDAL
Sub Bass
Bourdon
Bass Flute
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal

16
8
8
8
4
4
2



8
8
8
8
4
8





16
16
8

A












TC








A
A







relabelled Fifteenth 2 Laurie




relabelled Gedeckt 8 Laurie

relabelled Voix Celeste 8 Laurie


(by pedal)
deleted Laurie
relabelled Swell Super Octave Laurie

Compass: 61/30
Tubular-pneumatic action (now electro-pneumatic)
Balanced mechanical swell pedal (now electric)
Full organ by composition pedal (deleted Laurie)3



St Matthew's Uniting Church, Stawell: the Laurie console
[photograph by John Maidment (16 January 2013)]

The organ was rebuilt in 1979-80 by Laurie Pipe Organs Pty Ltd. The action was converted to electro-pneumatic and a new detached stopkey console provided. There were no tonal changes although several stops were renamed detailed above. The casework was repolished and the façade pipes resilvered.

 

1 Mike Butcher, Robert Alexander Love Goldfields Architect, 1814-1876. Strathdale, Vic.: Holland House Publishing, 2000, pp.80-83.

2 The Argus, 4 March 1921, p.4

3 Specification supplied by the Revd A.D. Hodgson 1967 with amendments noted by John Maidment 16 January 2013