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St Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, Claremont
The pipe organs of Western Australia



St Thomas Claremont
Photo from Gordon Stewart

St Thomas Claremont

St Thomas Claremont

St Thomas Claremont

Property
Name of institution   St Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church
Type of institution0   Church
Street Address   College Road
City   Claremont
State   Western Australia
Postcode   6010
Country   Australia
Name of building   St Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church
Name of room  
Dates of the building   1936 and 1964
Register of Heritage Places   Does not warrant assessment 10/12/2004
Heritage Place number   00488
Architect  
Builder  

Special architectural features and fittings   Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church is a fine example of Inter-War Gothic architecture of an ecclesiastical nature, and is significant for the events and associations since 1936.

The double volume face brick church has a steep pitched tile roof gabled at each end and finished in a moulded edge with a decorative vertical moulding at the apex on the front, with a cross. Central front is a single storey parapeted protruding porch. Decorative buttresses are at the corners of building. The front gable wall features a set of three stained glass windows in gabled arches with deep stucco moulding.

Nave built in neo-gothic style, modern sanctuary added to cater for expansion of the congregation in 1964.

Stained glass window panels installed in the church in 2006 from the Epworth Uniting Church, Parkside, SA.

Other location information   The St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church congregation commenced in 1904. The present church building was opened in 1936, with renovations and extensions in the 1960s being blessed by Bishop McKenna on 8th December 1963.

Name of contact  
Mailing Address  
Telephone  
Email  
Other contact information  

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Previous organ(s)
Date of previous organ   None
Detail of previous organ  
Dates when key work has been undertaken  
Dates of any moves that have taken place  
Variations from original design of organ  
Information on previous organ  
Information about comparable instruments to previous organ  
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Present organ
Type of installation   Freestanding

Case description  

Placement in room   Front right chancel

Builder's name   J E Dodd

Opus number  

Date of completion/installation   27 November 1912

Construction materials  

Number of manuals   Two (2)

Key compasses  

Number of keys   58

Key material  

Pedal compass  

Number of pedals   30

Pedalboard type  

Pedalboard material  

Type of chests  

Type of key action   Mechanical to pneumatic touchboxes

Type of stop action   Tubular-pneumatic, mechanical coupling in console

Couplers   Swell Super Octave
Swell - Great
Swell - Pedal
Great - Pedal

Tremulants   Swell

Accessories   

Console type   Detached drawstop

Stop label material  

Placement  

General design   Angled jambs

Playing aids   Four toe levers:
Full Swell
Full Great
Full Organ
Tremulant.

Balanced Swell pedal.

Divisions   Great, Swell, Pedal

Wind pressures  

Stop list  
GREAT
Bourdon 16' 58 pipes A
Open Diapason 8' 58 pipes B
Claribel 8' 58 pipes
Lieblich Gedact 8' 58 pipes
Salicional 8' 58 pipes C
Principal 4' 58 pipes
Flute d'Orchestre 4' 58 pipes
Mixture III 174 pipes
Trumpet 8' 58 pipes
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SWELL
Lieblich Bourdon 16' 58 pipes D
Open Diapason 8' 58 pipes
Hohl Flute 8' 58 pipes
Viole d'Orchestre 8' 58 pipes
Voix Celeste II 8' 46 pipes
Octave 4' 58 pipes
Flauto Traverso 4' 58 pipes
Cornopean 8' 58 pipes
Oboe 8' 58 pipes
.
PEDAL
Violone 16' B
Sub Bass 16' A
Echo Bourdon 16' D
Dolce 8' C
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Total number of stops   22

Total number of ranks   20

Total number of pipes   1,148

Dates when key work has been undertaken on current organ   Primary pneumatic action restored 2003 and new polyethelyne tubing installed to replace original lead tubing which had been damage during dismantling in Adelaide.

Console restored 2008 Patrick Elms & Co.

Dates of any moves that have taken place to current organ   Installed 1912 Epworth Methodist (later Uniting)Church, Young Street, Parkside, South Australia.

Removed and installed present location 2003 Patrick Elms & Co.

Information on current organ   Key action is mechanical at console coupling to pneumatic touchboxes inside the case.

Comparable instruments to current organ  

Assessment of organ and current status   The organ is in good condition.

Other organs by this builder   There are several organs by J E Dodd in Western Australia. Please refer to Western Australian Organs Builders Index

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Document control Original entries J R Elms, OAM, Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999, 2003 and 2004.
This entry D B Duncan 13 December 2008.
Information from OHTA Conference Booklet 2004.
Organ detail from Gazetteer of South Australian Pipe Organs, 1974, Bruce Naylor and Society of Organists (Victoria) Incorporated.
Building detail from Heritage Council of Western Australia.
Updated specification from Patrick Elms 04 January 2011.
Additional detail from In The Pipeline June/July 2004.