Scots Kirk Presbyterian Church
Belmont Road, Mosman

Charles Richardson 1917 (2/15 mechanical)




Peter Jewkes writes (May 2010):

The organ was built in 1917 by Charles Richardson, using metal pipework from his father W E Richardson of Manchester, and his own wooden pipes. It had 9 speaking stops, mechanical action to the manuals and drawstops, and pneumatic action for the Pedals and combination pistons. The handsome console was fitted with endolithically-engraved solid ivory stopknobs imported from Thomas Harrison of Cornwall. The organ originally stood on the dais at the front of the church in a central position. In 1927 it was moved by T C Edwards to its present corner position, facing diagonally across the church, and an independent Bass Flute 8' was added to the Pedal, and the tenor C compass Swell Oboe was replaced by a Cornopean. In 1965 a tenor C compass Nason Flute 4' was installed in place of the Celeste by Pitchford and Garside, on behalf of Hill Norman & Beard, Melbourne.

Between 1975 and 1978 the organ was rebuilt by Ian D Brown, who replaced much of Richardson's key action with imported aluminium tracker action, and converted the stop, piston and pedal actions to electro-pneumatic. Mixture, Larigot and Fifteenth stops were added on soundboard "cheeks" at this time, and the Bass Flute was extended to 4' pitch. A Trombone stop was also added to the Pedal, with mahogany resonators, half length for the bottom 11 pipes. The façade pipes were also resprayed, with the colour scheme altered to dark gold bodies with red mouths.

In 1979 Peter Jewkes restored the Swell soundboard and revoiced some of the new pipework. In 1996 the Jewkes firm also restored the Great soundboard, replaced the 1970s aluminium action with traditional wooden trackers and components, replaced the 1970s drawstop action with silent German solenoids, replaced the Pedal and combination piston electric action with solid state, and replaced the unsatisfactory 1927 Cornopean with a new stop of the same name.





The current specification is:


Great
Open Diapason
Stopped Diapason
Dulciana
Principal
Fifteenth

Swell
Lieblich Gedact
Gamba
Nason Flute
Mixture 15.22
Quinte 1-1/3
Cornopean
Tremulant

Pedal
Sub Bass
Bass Flute
Flute
Trombone

Couplers
Swell to Great
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal

8
8
8
4
2


8
8
4
II
1-1/3
8



16
8
4
16





+




*
+
+
# ^




#
+
+


+ Additions by Ian D. Brown (1975-78)
* Installed by Hill, Norman & Beard (1965)
# Additions by T.C.Edwards (1927)
^ Replaced Peter D G Jewkes c. 1996

Manual and stop action: mechanical
Pedal action: electro-neumatic (since 1975-8 rebuild)







Photos: Mark Quarmby 2007



Photo supplied by Alan Caradus from 'The Kirk Chronicle' (September 2018)
showing the organ in its original position and before the towers were added to the organ.