| Name of institution |
Wesley Uniting Church |
| Type of institution |
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 |
| Architect's and builder's names |
Richard Roach Jewell |
| Special architectural features |
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. |
| Special fittings |
|
| 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.
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| Name of contact |
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| Mailing Address |
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| Telephone |
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| Email |
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| Other contact information |
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| . |
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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 1875 Bishop & Son, London and Ipswich, instrument for Wesley Church, Perth.
This two manual organ served the church for over 30 years in its original location. |
| Dates when key work has been undertaken |
|
| Dates of any moves that have taken place |
In 1908 the organ was moved next door to Queens Hall, William Street, Perth (later Metro Theatre), 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 |
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|
Information about comparable instruments to previous organ |
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| . |
|
| Present organ |
|
| Type of installation |
Front left transcept 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 main body of the church. |
| Placement in room |
Front, left, 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 |
|
| Number of keys |
61 |
| Key material |
|
| Pedal compass |
|
| Number of pedals |
30 |
| Pedalboard type |
|
| 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 |
Drawstop, detached, 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' |
|
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| 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' |
|
|
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Horn |
8' |
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|
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Vox Humana |
8' |
|
|
Tremulant
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| CHOIR |
|
|
|
| Rohr Flute |
8' |
|
|
|
Viol d'Ochestra |
8' |
|
|
|
Unda Maris (TC) |
8' |
|
|
|
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 |
|
Trumpet |
8' |
|
E |
|
Trombone |
16' |
|
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 2 manual/pedal. New Choir division built in 1927.
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.
|
| Dates of any moves that have taken place to current
organ |
|
| Information on current organ |
Bob Elms writes:
An interesting point about Wesley Church's first organ, the Bishop. I
remember being told (by ES 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 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.
|
| Comparable instruments to current
organ |
|
| Current status |
|
| Assessment of organ |
|
| Other organs by this builder |
|
| Photographs |
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
|
| Technical documents |
Details of the organ from Pipe Organs WA Pty Ltd. |
| General documents |
Wesley Church Organ Centenary
In The Pipeline article |
| . |
|
| Supporting information |
|
| . |
|
| 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.
Photograph of 1919 organist from State Library of WA made available via Andrew Gardner 07 December 2010.
Additional information and comments from Bob Elms 08 December 2010.
Additional detail from F J Larner & Co brochure, 2000.
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