Pipe Organs in WA
 
 
 
 
 

Wesley Uniting Church, Perth
The pipe organs of Western Australia



Perth Wesley Church

Perth Wesley Church
Wesley Church Perth 1910

Perth Wesley Church

Perth Wesley Church
The Bishop & Sons organ in the chancel position, 1897
Photo sourced by Boyd Peters

Perth Wesley Church
Previous location of console
Mr Watkins playing the organ, 1919.

Perth Wesley Church

Perth Wesley Church

Perth Wesley Church

Perth Wesley Church

Perth Wesley Church
Mobile platform for console
Photo: Boyd Peters


Property
Name of institution   Wesley Uniting Church
Type of institution0   Church
Street Address   Corner Hay and William Street
City   Perth
State   Western Australia
Postcode   6000
Country   Australia
Name of building   Wesley Uniting Church
Name of room   Sanctuary
Dates of the building   1867
Register of Heritage Places   Permanent Entry 23/05/1995
Heritage Place number   02003
Architect   Richard Roach Jewell
Builder  

Special architectural features and fittings   Wesley Church was designed by Richard Roach Jewell, an architect, circuit steward, clerk of colonial works and church member. Jewell was responsible for the design of a number of other prominent Perth buildings, including the Cloisters (1858), the Pensioner Barracks (1863), and extensions and alterations to Government House (1864) and Perth Town Hall (1870). Jewell designed Wesley Church in the fashionable Gothic revival style, a style which he successfully adapted in his other buildings. Jewell's plan for Wesley Church comprised the nave, chancel and bell tower with a tall and elegant spire, and was accepted with one alteration - the relocation of the bell tower from the north-east side to the south-east side.

Wesley Church is built of load bearing brick in the Victorian academic gothic style and features a landmark spire, steeply pitched roofs, parapeted gables, label (hood) moulds and wall buttressing. The church has a strong verticality of form emphasised by tall lancet windows with plate tracery to the east façade. Angle buttresses divide the nave wall into five bays and the major windows have stucco label moulds above them. The bricks of the building, fired at uncertain temperatures in wood burning kilns, show a range of mellow tones and, laid in Flemish bond, create a chequerboard effect on the walls, which provides a decorative element to the walls of the building. The spire is 35 metres high with a weathercock at its point and is surrounded by four smaller spires at its base which are capped by metal finials. The north-east tower replicates these smaller spires above the gable. The roof structure is made of hand sawn timber and the roof covering was originally shingles but, at some point the Church was re-roofed in clay tiles.

Additions and alterations were made in 1895 to the design of Sir J.J. Talbot Hobbs.

Other location information   Wesley Church is the oldest Perth City church in its original form still being used as a place of worship, although the nave at St Mary's Cathedral (demolished 2006/7 in readiness for new construction) would have predated it by four years.

Name of contact  
Mailing Address  
Telephone  
Email  
Other contact information   Uniting Church in the City web site

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Previous organ(s)
Date of previous organ   1875

Detail of previous organ The first pipe organ to be installed in Western Australia was the organ from Bishop & Son, London and Ipswich, for Wesley Church, Perth.

The organ arrived in WA in 1874 (verification given by Robert Cecil Clifton) and was installed the same year.

GREAT CC-g
Open Diapason 8' 56 pipes
Dulciana TC 8' 44 pipes
Clarabella 8' 56 pipes
Stopp'd Diapason Bass 8' 56 pipes
Principal 4' 56 pipes
Twelfth 2 2/3' Labelled 3' 56 pipes
Fifteenth 2' 56 pipes
Se-quialtra III 168 pipes
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SWELL CC-g
Violin Diapason 8' 44 pipes
Leiblich Gedact Bass 8' 56 pipes
Leiblich Gedact Treble 8' 56 pipes
Geigen Principal 4' 56 pipes
Oboe TC 8' 44 pipes
Swell to Great
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PEDAL CCC-E
Bourdon 16' 29 pipes
Swell to Pedals
Great to Pedals
.

There were three combination pedals.

Almost certainly the count of pipes shown above are incorrect, attributed perhaps to the reporter not being familiar with treble and bass ranks.
The stoplist comes from a March 1875 newspaper clipping, quoting Mr Shenton for providing the description.
The case is described as of Gothic design in stained Kowrie Pine, with the display pipes coloured. The wood pipes are of selected Honduras Mahogany. The console was of polished oak.

Dates when key work has been undertaken   There are no records of any changes ever taking place to the organ.

Dates of any moves that have taken place   In 1908 the organ was moved next door to Queens Hall, Murray Street, Perth, to make way for a new organ.

In 1926 the Bishop & Son organ was relocated by W L Roberts Ltd, Adelaide, to Wesley Methodist Church, Claremont (job no 96).

In 1984 Hale School Assembly Hall, Hale Road, Wembley Downs, became the organ's next home. The organ suffered considerable damage in a storm in March 2010 and has been taken down and placed in storage.

Variations from original design of organ   There were no apparent changes in the original location.

Information on previous organ   This two manual organ served the church for over 30 years in its original location.

Information about comparable instruments to previous organ   Another Bishop & Son organ was imported to Western Australia in 1901, this organ was installed in St Patrick's Basilica, Fremantle

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Present organ
Type of installation   Chamber

Case description   A distinctive three-tower Dodd case, with carved corbels, bands and transom rails. Display pipes are enlivened with discrete coloured banding and guilding.

There is a dummy rank of pipes acting as a display to the nave of the church.

Placement in room   Left chancel elevated chamber, above choir stalls

Builder's name   J E Dodd

Opus number  

Date of completion/installation   1908

Construction materials   Dark Western Red Cedar case, Jarrah Console with Oak inlay, Ivory stop heads, Ivory Keys

Number of manuals   Three (3)

Key compasses   CC - ccc

Number of keys   61

Key material  

Pedal compass   CC-f

Number of pedals   30

Pedalboard type   Radiating concave

Pedalboard material  

Type of chests  

Type of key action   Electro-pneumatic

Type of stop action   Electro-pneumatic

Couplers   Swell Super
Swell Sub
Swell Unison Off
Choir Super
Choir Sub
Choir Unison Off

Tremulants   Swell, Choir

Accessories    40 Stage memory
6 Divisional pistons
10 General pistons
Reversible coupler & pistons
Adjustable bench
Clock

Console type   Detached drawstop, movable

Stop label material   Ivory

Placement   45 degree jambs

General design  

Playing aids   Swell/Choir pedal with position indicator
Crescendo pedal

Divisions   Great, Swell, Choir, Positive, Pedal

Wind pressures  

Stop list  
GREAT
Contra Dulciana 16' A
Open Diapason 8'
Melodic Diapason 8'
Lieblich Gedact 8'
Dulciana 8' A
Clarabel 8'
Principal 4'
Flute 4'
Twelfth 2 2/3'
Fifteenth 2'
Tierce 1 3/5'
Fourniture IV
Trumpet 8'
.
SWELL
Lieblich Gedact 16' B
Geigen Diapason 8'
Hohlflote 8'
Viole d'Orchestre 8'
Celeste II 8'
Flute 4'
Octave 4'
Mixture III
Oboe 8'
Horn 8'
Vox Humana 8'
Tremulant
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CHOIR
Rohr Flute 8'
Viol d'Ochestra 8'
Unda Maris 8' (TC)
Suabe Flute 4'
Harmonic Piccolo 2'
Sesquialtera II
Orchestral Oboe 8'
Clarionet 8'
Tuba 8'
Tremulant
.
PEDAL
Harmonic Bass 32' C
Open Diapason 16'
Sub Bass 16' C
Bourdon 16' B
Dulciana 16' A
Principal 8' D
Flute 8' C
Dulciana 8' A
Principal 4' D
Twelfth 5 1/3' D
Trombone 16' E
Trumpet 8' E
.
Total number of stops   61

Total number of ranks   35

Total number of pipes   3,000

Dates when key work has been undertaken on current organ   Originally built as a 2 manual/pedal organ.

New Choir division built by W.L. Roberts Ltd in 1927.

Rebuilt 1950's by J.E. Dodd & Sons Gunstar Organ Works.

Rebuilt 1994 by F J Larner & Co. New console of Jarrah with White Oak inlays. Front pipes restencilled by Graham Devenish. New memory system and crescendo pedal installed.

Tuning of the instrument and regulating the Swell reeds for more power by Patrick Elms & Co November 2020.

New mobile platform for console in the sanctuary made and installed by Patrick Elms & Co May 2023

Dates of any moves that have taken place to current organ   None

Information on current organ   J R (Bob) Elms, OAM, writes:
An interesting point about Wesley Church's first organ, the Bishop. I remember being told (by E S Craft maybe) that the original organ was in the rear gallery. It was mechanical action of course. However I have no proof of that.

When Roberts rebuilt and enlarged the present instrument the console was moved from its position in the organ case to a position behind the pulpit which was at that time centrally located in front of the choir, with the console in the centre where the organist could conduct the choir. The console was sunk into the floor and the organist had to descend with a little difficulty to the stool which meant he was sitting at floor level. I said "he" but there were as many ladies as men with Aggie Read, Thelma Bassett and Yvoenne Rees and some other later, Evelyn Thompson the last. I played for a Conference service a few times when my Forrest Park Choir was asked to provide the music. That was in the time of ES Craft. Craft took over from EJ Watkin I believe. I heard Watkin play for one service. Fiery playing with plenty of reed tone!

The console is now back in the position used by Roberts in 1927 but the choir was then behind it divided on each side and the pulpit was in front of the console hiding it. The console was sunk into the floor whereas now it seems to be in a position of prominence.

When Evvy
[Evelyn] Thompson was there the console was moved to the front row of pews in the nave part of the church. It seems it is back in the ES Craft position again but without the choir and pulpit and not sunk to below floor level with the organist virtually sitting on the floor!!..

Then I was right about the initial position of the console in 1908, occupying the same position en fenetre as the 1903 rebuild in St George's Cathedral. In the Cathedral the console was moved to floor level some time around 1928 and remained there until the Walker rebuild in 1958.


An concise history was prepared for the Centenary of the organ by Dr Bruce Duncan in December 2008. Wesley Church Organ Centenary

Comparable instruments to current organ   The organ at St Mary's Cathedral is often considered a sister instrument to this organ, Both organs were of a similar size and tonal design, built by J E Dodd in 1908.

Assessment of organ and current status   The organ is well maintained and in good order

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 15 December 2008.
In The Pipeline article, October 2008.
Photograph of 1919 organist from State Library of WA made available via Andrew Gardner 07 December 2010.
Photograph of church exterior by Dan Arndt.
Photographs of organ by Pastór de Lasala, Mark Quarmby, Bruce Duncan and Graham Devenish.
Photograph of 1919 organ from State Library of Western Australia.
Additional information and comments from Bob Elms 08 December 2010.
Additional detail from F J Larner & Co brochure, 2000.
Details of the organ from Pipe Organs WA Pty Ltd.
Photograph of the Bishop organ from Boyd Peters, 25 March 2021.
Bishop organ stoplist and newspaper cutting from Boyd Peters, 27 April 2021.
Information on works from Patrick Elms 29 April 2022.
Information from Heritage Council of Western Australia
Information on new console platform from Boyd Peters June 2023.