| Name of institution |
St. Brigid's Catholic Church |
| Type
of institution |
Church |
| Street
Address |
Corner
Aberdeen and Fitzgerald Street
|
| City |
Northbridge
/ West Perth |
| State |
Western
Australia |
| Postcode |
|
| Country |
Australia |
| Name
of building |
St.
Brigid's Catholic Church |
| Name
of room |
Church
sanctuary |
| Dates
of the building |
1905
|
| Architect’s
and builder’s names |
|
| Special
architectural features |
The
church is built in Federation Gothic style with walls of red brick. The
church is about 60 feet wide and 115 feet long and the height to the
ceiling is 40 feet. There are three aisles giving access to seating for
700-800 people. There is a large rose window over the main entrance on
Fitzgerald Street with another entrance on Aberdeen Street. On the
corner nearest Fitzgerald and Aberdeen Streets, the stairs to the choir
are extended up to a tower containing a belfry. The church bell was
imported from England. The windows on the side are mullioned and
traceried with the surrounds being made of freestone. The roof is made
of Green Welsh slate. The furniture in the church was custom-made from
solid polished jarrah timber.
The convent has an oratory and features a hammer-beamed trussed roof.
The windosw are painted dado and leadlight panel bay windows with
gold-painted arches. The school is a two-storey building in
the Federation Arts and Craft style.
[Heritage Council of Western Australia: Register of Heritage Places: St
Brigid's Group, Perth]
|
| Special
fittings |
|
|
Other location information
|
On
16 July 1888, Sisters Berchmans Deane and John Evangelist Stewart of
the Sisters of Mercy commenced the operation of a school in a cottage
on John Street. The school (called St Brigid's) quickly attracted many
pupils and, in six months, plans were underway for a larger school. On
1 Feb 1889 (the feast of St Brigid), Bishop Gibney laid the foundation
stone for a large school building. Student numbers continued to grow,
necessitating the construction of a convent chapel with accommodation
for larger numbers of the Sisters of Mercy required to run the school.
As the number of Sisters increased, the convent building was
progressively extended. The convent building was completed in 1896.[The
West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879-1954)]
In 25 May 1896, the convent became an independent community of the
Sisters of Mercy (previously it had been affiliated with the Convent of
the Immaculate Conception in Victoria Square). This allowed the convent
to accept novices and postulants.
In 1901, the parish of St Brigid's was established and Monsignor Bourke
was appointed as parish priest. The nuns provided access to the school
buildings for church services, but this was very inconvenient to
constantly re-arrange everything, so a committee was formed in April
1901 to raise funds for the building a church and a presbytery.
In 1902, the presbytery was built facing Aberdeen Street. In February
1904, the plans had been drawn up for the church itself and the
foundation stone was laid in May 1904. The church was built on the
corner of Fitzgerald Street and Aberdeen Street and was officially
opened on Sunday 5 February 1905.
By 1974, the area, once residential, had become more of a commercial
and industrial area. As a result, there were very few students. It was
decided that the Sisters would sell the convent to the Western
Australian State Government to be used by organisations such as the
Department of Corrections and for Technical and Further Education
(TAFE).
In 1991, the church precinct was classified by the National Trust of
Australia. The State Government offered the Sisters the opportunity to
buy back the convent and a community grant was used to restore the
buildings. The Sisters returned to St Brigid's in 1998 and the precinct
was heritage listed in 2004.
In 2011, the St Brigid’s Convent is used as the Congregation
administration offices of the Sisters of Mercy in West Perth. The
historical records of the Sisters are kept in the cottage where the
school began. |
| Name
of contact |
|
| Mailing
Address |
|
| Telephone |
08
9227 7956 |
| Email |
|
|
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 |
Choir
gallery with reduced display facing the nave |
| Case
description |
Typical
Dodd organ case in dark timber with corbelled display pipes in a
central tower surrounded by two very small flats. The organ
is
laid out with the Swell against the side wall of the church, the Great
immediately in front and the Pedal at the back of the organ (to the
left side as you view it from the gallery). |
| Placement
in room |
Rear
of the building |
| Builder's
name |
J.E.
Dodd, Adelaide. |
| Opus
number |
|
|
Date of completion/installation |
1905 / 06
|
| Construction
materials |
|
| Number
of manuals |
Two
(2) |
| Key
compasses |
CCC
- ccc |
| Number
of keys |
61
(56 note ranks) |
| Key
material |
Ivory
covered naturals and ebony sharps |
| Pedal
compass |
CCC
- F |
| Number
of pedals |
30 |
| Pedalboard
type |
Concave
and radiating |
| Pedalboard
material |
|
| Type
of chests |
|
| Type
of key action |
Electro-pneumatic
|
| Type
of stop action |
Electro-pneumatic
|
| Couplers |
Swell
sub octave
Swell super octave
Swell to Great
Swell to Great sub
Swell to Great super |
Great
super octave
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal |
|
| Tremulants |
Swell
|
| Accessories |
Three pistons under Swell keyboard, three under Great, repeated as toe studs,
all general pistons and indiviudually settable.
Toe stud (reversable) Great to Pedal coupler.
|
| Console
type |
Modernised
console with stop tabs |
| Stop
label material |
|
| Placement
|
Detached
and located across choir gallery |
| General
design |
|
| Playing
aids |
Balanced
Swell pedal, swing down setter panels for pistons. |
| Divisions |
Great,
Swell, Pedal |
| Wind
pressures |
|
| Stop
list |
| GREAT |
|
|
|
| Open Diapason |
8' |
|
|
| Claribel |
8' |
|
|
| Dulciana |
8' |
|
|
| Principal |
4' |
|
|
| . |
|
|
|
| SWELL |
|
|
|
| Hohl Flute |
8' |
|
|
| Voli d'Orchestre |
8' |
|
|
| Flauto Traverso |
4' |
|
|
| Oboe |
8' |
|
|
| . |
|
|
|
| PEDAL |
|
|
|
| Bourdon |
16' |
|
|
| Echo |
16' |
|
|
| Viola |
8' |
|
|
| Fifteenth |
4' |
|
|
| . |
|
|
|
|
| Total
number of stops |
12
stops |
| Total
number of ranks |
12
ranks (56 pipes to manual divisions) |
| Total
number of pipes |
646
pipes
|
| Dates
when key work has been undertaken on current
organ |
Rebuilt 1964
by J.E. Dodd & Sons Gunstar Organ Works, Adelaide. |
| Dates
of any moves that have taken place to current
organ |
|
| Information
on current organ |
|
| Comparable
instruments to current
organ |
J E Dodd built many organs of a
similar nature for churches throughout Australia. |
| Current
status |
In
very good condition. |
| Assessment
of organ |
|
| Other
organs by this builder |
St. Matthew's Anglican
Church, Guildford
Ross
Memorial Church, West Perth
St. Thomas'
Catholic Church, Claremont |
| Photographs |
Photograph
of the church by Kerry Raymond
Photographs of the church tower and interior by Bruce Duncan |
| Technical
documents |
|
| General
documents |
|
| . |
|
| 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 01 January 2009.
Additional information from Wickipedia 22 February 2011.
Additional photographs and details by Bruce Duncan 23 February 2011.
|
