| Name of institution |
St. Alban's Anglican Church |
| Type of institution |
Church |
| Street Address |
423 Beaufort Street
|
| City |
Highgate |
| State |
Western Australia |
| Postcode |
6003
|
| Country |
Australia |
| Name of building |
St. Alban's Anglican Church |
| Name of room |
Sanctuary
|
| Dates of the building |
1889 |
| Architect’s and builder’s names |
|
| Special architectural features |
The
building is in the Norman style; the stained glass windows are
said to be Norman–style windows intended for St George's
Cathedral but given to St Alban's as they were considered unsuitable
for the Gothic cathedral. The free–standing church bell is
thought to be one of the oldest in the Commonwealth, cast in London in
1806 and intended for the docks area. However, the people
objected to the bell being "too loud" and it was bought for St George's
Church, Perth (the forerunner of the Cathedral) in 1842. |
| Special fittings |
|
| Other location information |
In the
1880's the Perth Cathedral parish extended nearly to Fremantle in one
direction, to Bayswater in another, and included South Perth and
Victoria Park. The new Dean, the Very Revd Frederick Goldsmith was a
man of vision and drive, and he saw that the town would soon expand to
the north of Wellington Street, and that a church should be built in
that area to minister to the growing population.
Five acres were acquired on Highgate Hill and in September 1888 the
first service was held on the site under a gum tree. In January 1889 a
public meeting was held in the Cathedral schoolroom "to which all of
those are invited who are interested in the erection of a Mission
Chapel at Highgate Hill". The response must have been good, for the
foundation stone was laid in February 1889, and the building was
completed, debt-free, four months later, and consecrated on 13 June
1889.
At first, St. Alban's was conducted as an outreach from the Cathedral,
with one of the Cathedral curates taking charge of the work. In 1897 it
became a separate parish, and became a centre from which new work was
started at Bayswater, Maylands and Leederville.
The church was reconstructed and extended in 1898. The foundation stone
was laid by Lord Forrest (the trowel he used can be seen in the WA
Museum). A parish Hall was also built. This was opened with a mission,
conducted by the Dean. "Night after night we went tramping through the
sand singing hymns and bringing many back with us to the crowded hall.
Some nights we halted at the 'Third Swamp' (now Hyde Park) and had a
meeting with the men camped there" (Revd F.J. Price writing in 1937).
In those days the bitumen ended at Brisbane Street - after that it was
all sand tracks. |
| Name of contact |
|
| Mailing Address |
|
| Telephone |
9328 8071 |
| Email |
office@stalbans.org.au |
| Other contact information |
|
| . |
|
| 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 |
|
| . |
|
| Present organ |
|
| Type of installation |
Freestanding |
| Case description |
The
casework of this organ, designed by Clifton in the Gothic style,
resembling the work of A.G. Hill in Britain, is of considerable
distinction, with carved pipeshades, cresting and projecting V
tower. The spotted metal pipework was manufactured by George
Fincham & Son.
|
| Placement in room |
Right central nave |
| Builder's name |
Robert Cecil Clifton |
| Opus number |
5 |
| Date of completion/installation |
1895–1908 |
| Construction materials |
|
| Number of manuals |
Two (2) |
| Key compasses |
|
| Number of keys |
56 |
| Key material |
|
| Pedal compass |
|
| Number of pedals |
30 |
| Pedalboard type |
|
| Pedalboard material |
|
| Type of chests |
|
| Type of key action |
Mechanical (tape and bobbin), tubular-pneumatic pedal action |
| Type of stop action |
Tubular-pneumatic |
| Couplers |
Swell - Great (Great side)
Swell - Great (Swell Side)
Great - Pedal |
| Tremulants |
None |
| Accessories |
None |
| Console type |
Integrated, drawstop |
| Stop label material |
|
| Placement |
|
| General design |
|
| Playing aids |
3 thumb pistons to Great
3 thumb pistons to Swell |
| Divisions |
Great, Swell, Pedal |
| Wind pressures |
|
| Stop list |
| GREAT |
|
|
|
| Open Diapason |
8' |
Metal |
|
| Lieblich Gedeckt |
8' |
Wood |
|
| Oktave |
4' |
Metal |
|
| Spitzflöte |
4' |
Metal |
|
| Fifteenth |
2' |
Metal |
|
.
|
|
|
|
| SWELL |
|
|
|
| Lieblich Gedeckt |
8' |
Wood |
|
| Gamba |
8' |
Metal |
|
| Viol d'Amour |
4' |
Wood |
|
| Flautina |
2' |
Metal |
|
| Oboe |
8' |
Metal |
|
| .
|
|
|
|
| PEDAL |
|
|
|
| Gedeckt |
16' |
Wood |
|
| Salicional |
8' |
Wood |
|
| . |
|
|
|
|
| Total number of stops |
12 |
| Total number of ranks |
|
| Total number of pipes |
|
| Dates when key work has been undertaken on current
organ |
After
installation in St Alban's in 1976 the Great Salicional was
removed by F.J. Larner and Co., and replaced by a metal Fifteenth and
six pipes provided to complete the compass of the Great Open Diapason.
The organ was purchased from the Congregational Church for $5,000
and a further $4,000 was spent on relocation and enhancements. |
| Dates of any moves that have taken place to current
organ |
Built for the music room of R C Clifton's home at 231 Adelaide Terrace, Perth
Removed to the North
Perth Congregational Church by J.E. Dodd; the instrument was opened on
22 December 1946 by Dr C. Edgar Ford broadcast on ABC radio.
Removed by F.J. Larner and Co. in 1976 and relocated with several alterations to St
Alban's Church.
Removed by F.J. Larner and Co. in August 2014 and relocated to St Anne's Catholic Church, Belmont. |
| Information on current organ |
The organ was the last to be built by Robert Cecil Clifton. |
| Comparable instruments to current
organ |
|
| Current status |
|
| Assessment of organ |
|
| Other organs by this builder |
|
| Photographs |
Photographs of organ by Bruce Duncan and others
|
| Technical documents |
Details of the organ from OHTA Conference Book 2004.
|
| General documents |
Historical notes from St. Alban's church web site.
|
| . |
|
| Supporting information |
Additional information about Robert Cecil Clifton can be found in the Leon D. Cohen book, Gathered Fragments: the Biography of Robert Cecil Clifton, I.S.O. 1854–1931. |
| . |
|
| Document control |
Original entries J R Elms, OAM,
Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999,2003 and 2004.
This entry D B Duncan 17 January 2009.
Additional details from In The Pipeline May/June 1998.
|
