Wentworth Memorial Anglican Church
Fitzwilliam Road, Vaucluse

Roger H Pogson 1965 (2/5 extension, electro-pneumatic)

From SOJ February/March 1983:

This imposing modern church is located on a hill surrounded by gardens and small pockets of bushland. A long, steep driveway connects the church forecourt with Fitzwilliam Road. The organ (an unenclosed 5 rank extension instrument built in 1965 by Roger H Pogson) stands high on the southern wall and sounds excellent in this resonant church. It was the second organ built by Pogson and is an extremely successful example of unit organ construction.


From the 2010 OHTA Conference Book, Dr Kelvin Hastie writes:

This church is one of the most sophisticated modern buildings in Sydney. It is notable for its innovative use of copper roofing and glass, while the tower makes a dramatic vertical statement. The building was designed by Clarke, Gazzard and Yeomans and opened in 1965 and is constructed in rendered brick.ⁱ

The small electro-pneumatic organ, built on the unit principle, was the second instrument constructed by Roger H. Pogson. Pogson had begun his career with S.T. Noad in 1948, but branched out on his own in the early 1960s, building his first instrument in 1964 for St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Normanhurst. While Pogson is best known for his significant contribution to the construction of modern mechanical action organs in four Australian states and Japan (the first being the landmark instrument of 1967 at The King’s School, Parramatta, built on the initiative of Keith Asboe) and for the restoration of the Sydney Town Hall organ, he constructed seven unit organs in the period 1964-70. The first three (for St Stephen’s Normanhurst, Wentworth Memorial Vaucluse and Miranda Methodist Church) were built with electro-pneumatic action and pipework largely obtained from George Fincham & Sons, while the later four (at St John’s Dee Why, St Martin’s Blakehurst, St Thomas’ Moorebank and St Luke’s Miranda) used electro-magnetic action and pipework imported from Europe. These four instruments were solidly grounded in the tonal ideals of the later Orgelbewegung.

In terms of its disposition of pipework, the Wentworth Memorial instrument is identical to Pogson’s 1966 instrument at Miranda Uniting Church, although the latter instrument has casework, a swell enclosure and fewer extensions. Both instruments have two blocks of Sub Bass pipes (a group of five and another of seven), constructed in “mouth organ” fashion, to reduce costs and to save space. The manual note actions consist of chest magnets that exhaust a diaphragm valve sitting on a stem under each pipe. While the console equipment (stopkeys, keyboards, pistons and contacts) and blower were imported from England, Pogson constructed his own relays, located inside the console cabinet.ⁱⁱ

Standing on a high platform, the Wentworth Memorial instrument speaks into a generous acoustic. Its five ranks are:

Great Principal Rohr Pommer Gemshorn Salicional Octave Flute Nazard Super Octave Positive Rohr Gedackt Salicional Principal Gemshorn Gedackt Flute Spitz Flute Quint Octavin Pedal Sub Bass Bass Flute Choral Bass Rohr Flute Quint Principal

8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 8 8 4 4 4 2 1-1/3 1 16 8 4 4 2-2/3 2

A B C D A B B A B D A C B C C C E B A B C A

Basic Ranks

A – Principal (C-B from Subbass)

B – Rohr Flute

C – Gemshorn (C-B from Rohr Flute)

D – Salicional (C-B from Rohr Flute)

E – Sub Bass

Electro-pneumatic action

Compass 61/30

2 thumb pistons (preset) to each manual

i Information from www.sydney.architecture.com

ii Information provided to Kelvin Hastie in an interview conducted with Roger Pogson at North Ryde, 29 December 1980.

 

Photos: Trevor Bunning April 2010

Two photos above: Simon Colvin April 2010