Historical and Technical Documentation by Kelvin Hastie
© OHTA 2024
The foundation stone of the Lane Cove Methodist Church was laid on 12 September 1959 by Mr L. Bowmer, the congregation having previously worshipped in an adjacent building, subsequently used as a church hall.
Church hall
Church entrance
Church interior
The pipe organ, built by J.P. Eagles, of Cheltenham, was installed in 1960. It was a four-rank electro-magnetic unit instrument with a console cabinet supplied by Ricketts & Thorp, of Rockdale. The four ranks were Diapason, Flute, Geigen and Dulciana.
In 1980 the organ was rebuilt and enlarged to six ranks by Geoffrey D. Kendall, an amateur organ builder. Kendall provided an additional flute rank for the Great and a Trumpet for the Swell. New casework was provided and the Eagles console refitted. As a result of haphazard switching and wiring, and poor overall workmanship, the instrument became unreliable.
Organ case
Console details
Owing to demographic change in the district and a fall in church attendance, the congregation voted to close the church and sell the site. Prior to the sale, the building had been used by a Korean congregation for a number of years. The organ was removed and broken up in 2013 and property was redeveloped, with numerous apartments now standing on the former church site.
GREAT Diapason Flute Octave Flute Fifteenth Mixture III Swell to Great |
8 8 4 4 2 III |
A B + A B A * |
|
SWELL Flute Dulciana Geigen Flute Piccolo Tierce Trumpet Tremulant |
8 8 4 4 2 1-3/5 8 |
C D (1-12 from C) E C C D E = |
|
PEDAL Bourdon Flute Quint Octave Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal |
16 8 5-1/3 4 |
B B B B ^ |
Electro-magnetic action
Compass 61/32
3 preset pistons per manual
+ Second hand open flute pipes from Tenor C, added 1980
* 13 notes, 39 pipes repeating throughout the compass
= Added 1980 at rear of organ, partly "en chamade"
^ Extended from Great Flute, not Great Diapason
Great piston settings:
1-Inoperable
2 Pedal Bourdon 16 + Diapason 8+4+2
3 Pedal Bourdon 16, Quint 5-1/3 + Diapason 8+4+2+Mixture
Swell piston settings:
1 - Dulciana 8
2 - Flute 8 + Geigen 4 + Piccolo 2
3 - Flute 8 + Geigen 4 + Piccolo 2 + Tierce 1-3/5
Great Pipework - Diapason
Part of Pedal Bourdon and Great repeating 39-pipe Mixture
Swell Pipework
Pedal Pipework - part of Pedal-Great flute
Eagles wind regulator
Eagles Swell Motor and Shutters
Kendall switching and part of Trumpet rank
All photographs taken by Kelvin Hastie, 2012