St Barnabas' Anglican Church
cnr Parramatta Road and Mountain Street, Broadway
Hill & Son 1879, 2m., 23 sp.st., mechanical
Church and organ destroyed by fire on Wednesday, 10th May, 2006
© PdL 2006
Click below to hear Michael Dudman playing:
J.S. Bach - Fugue in G BWV 577 (5MB)
Boëly - Fantaisie in B flat (6.2MB)
(both recordings taken from Historic Organs of Sydney
Walsingham Classics 3 WAL 8023 2 CD - recorded 11th November, 1983)
From SOJ February/March 1986, August/September 1989, August/September 1992
Built in Gothic revival style, St Barnabas' was built in 1858-59 to designs by the architect Arthur Crux. Edmund Blacket added to it in 1872 and a vestry was added in 1876. An organ of 12 stops by an unknown builder was bought in 1863 and was removed to the Schoolroom and sold in 1881 after the purchase of the Hill & Son organ. An order was placed with Hill & Son in 1879 for £750 and the organ was demonstrated in London to great satisfaction before being shipped to Sydney where it was erected by William Davidson in 1880. It was opened by the organist of Christ Church St Laurence, William Stanley, on 22nd December, 1880 with the choir of St Barnabas'.
After more than 100 years, this organ remains in remarkably original condition. The addition of electric blowing, harmonic trebles to the Trumpet, and a Voix Celeste 8' and Gamba 8' stops to the Swell seem to be the only changes that have taken place.
The Chairman of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia, Mr John Maidment OAM writes (11/5/06):
Loss of the splendid 1880 Hill & Son organ at St Barnabas' Anglican Church, Broadway, NSW in the disastrous fire of 10 May 2006 is particularly tragic. This was the most significant Australian organ to be lost in this way for many years, certainly since the destruction of the St Kilda Town Hall organ in 1991. The St Barnabas' organ remained in almost original condition on its original site apart from some very minor changes: addition of two string ranks to the Swell Organ, electric blowing and the fitting of harmonic trebles to the Great Trumpet. It was the largest two manual organ sent out to Australia by Hill & Son, with a particularly generous tonal structure that included Mixtures on Great and Swell, the latter a unique example of a four-rank quint and unison Mixture 19.22.26.29, while the Pedal had the luxury of a 4ft flute register - a metal rank made to Flautina scales. All of the metal pipework was of spotted metal and indeed this was a first rate Hill production where no expense had been spared and there will be no way it can be replaced. Fortunately, a number of digital images and sound clips were taken by Pastor de Lasala earlier this year while it was recorded by Michael Dudman in his series Historic Organs of Sydney. It was also frequently used in the 1960s by the Australian Broadcasting Commission for its programme Organists of Australia.
© PdL 2006
Its specification was as follows:
Hill & Son 1879 (2/23 mechanical)
| Great Bourdon Open Diapason Stopped Diapason Pierced Gamba Dulciana Principal Harmonic Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture (17.19.22) Trumpet Swell Bourdon Open Diapason Hohl Flute Gemshorn Fifteenth Mixture (19.22.26.29) Horn Oboe Pedal Open Diapason Bourdon Violoncello Bass Flute Couplers Swell to Great Swell to Pedal Great to Pedal |
16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 8 16 8 8 4 2 IV 8 8 16 16 8 4 |
Compass 58/30
Mechanical action throughout
3 combination pedals to Great
2 combination pedals to Swell
Lever Swell pedal
Stop knob marked "wind" to signal blower
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Photos of fire:
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© PdL 2006