| Name of institution |
University of Western Australia |
| Type of institution |
University |
| Street Address |
Stirling Highway |
| City |
Crawley |
| State |
Western Australia |
| Postcode |
|
| Country |
Australia |
| Name of building |
Winthrop Hall |
| Name of room |
Winthrop Hall
|
| Dates of the building |
1932 |
| Architect’s and builder’s names |
|
| Special architectural features |
Winthrop Hall displays a grand Mediterannean style.
Sitting on the banks of the Swan River, the University of Western
Australia Crawley campus is the oldest in Western Australia and among
the most picturesque in the world with its grand sandstone and
terracotta buildings sitting among elegant heritage-listed gardens. |
| Special fittings |
The auditorium combines stained glass windows and aboriginal motifs on the ceiling. |
| Other location information |
  |
| Name of contact |
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| Mailing Address |
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| Telephone |
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| Email |
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| Other contact information |
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| . |
|
| Date of previous organs |
None |
| Detail of previous organs |
|
| Dates when key work has been undertaken |
|
| Dates of any moves that have taken place |
|
| Variations from original design of organ |
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| Information on previous organs |
|
| Information about comparable instruments to previous
organs |
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| . |
|
| Present organ |
|
| Type of installation |
Front gallery (shelf) |
| Case description |
Open display |
| Placement in room |
Front, central, above main stage and choir stalls |
| Builder's name |
J W Walker and Sons Ltd, Ruislip, England. |
| Opus number |
|
| Date of completion/installation |
1965 |
| Construction materials |
|
| Number of manuals |
Three (3) |
| Key compasses |
|
| Number of keys |
|
| Key material |
|
| Pedal compass |
|
| Number of pedals |
|
| Pedalboard type |
|
| Pedalboard material |
|
| Type of chests |
|
| Type of key action |
Electro-pneumatic |
| Type of stop action |
Electro-pneumatic |
| Couplers |
|
| Tremulants |
Swell, Positive and Choir |
| Accessories |
|
| Console type |
Drawstop, detached, movable |
| Stop label material |
|
| Placement |
|
| General design |
The cost
of the organ was £30,000. It took one year to build,
using eight miles of wire, and over sixty craftsmen in its
construction. The organ was designed as an instrument of the
Organ Reform Movement – the fully developed principal chorus work
on all manual divisions is of open toe voicing on fairly low wind
pressure and the reeds are French in character. It was one of the
first of these “classical” instruments to be installed in
Australia. It is not a large scale cathedral or concert hall
instrument, but depends on the character of each voice to produce its
unique tone.
The organ had a three manual console made of Honduras mahogany, maple
interior fittings, ivory keys and a fully mobile platform that could be
positioned freely on the stage. The five division organ with 47
speaking stops featured 2712 pipes The Choir and Positive shared
the bottom keyboard, having a thumb piston each for Choir
‘on’, Positive ‘on’ and Choir and Positive
‘on’. The organ had the usual couplers for an organ
of this size and had a full complement of performing aids of the day. |
| Playing aids |
|
| Divisions |
Great, Swell, Choir, Positive, Pedal |
| Wind pressures |
General: 75mm
Contra Trombone 90mm
Trumpet Real 130mm |
| Stop list |
| GREAT |
|
|
|
| Quintaton |
16' |
|
D |
| Open Diapason |
8' |
|
|
| Principal |
8' |
|
|
| Spitzflute |
8' |
|
|
| Octave |
4' |
|
|
| Rohrflute |
4' |
|
|
| Twelfth |
2 2/3' |
|
|
| Fifteenth |
2' |
|
|
| Sesquiatera 12.17 |
II |
|
|
| Mixture 19 22 26 29 |
IV |
|
|
| Trompette |
8' |
|
G
|
| Clarion |
4' |
New |
|
|
|
|
|
| SWELL |
|
|
|
| Bourdon |
16' |
New |
H |
| Open Diapason |
8' |
|
|
| Gedeckt |
8' |
|
|
| Viola da Gamba |
8' |
|
|
| Voix Celeste TC |
8' |
|
|
| Gemshorn |
4' |
|
|
| Koppelflute |
4' |
|
|
| Fifteenth |
2' |
|
|
| Mixture 22 26 29 33 |
IV |
|
|
| Contra Bassoon |
16' |
|
A |
| Cornopean |
8' |
|
|
| Bassoon |
8' |
|
A |
| Clarion |
4' |
|
|
| Tremulant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| POSITIVE |
|
|
|
| Stopped Diapason |
8' |
|
|
| Nason Flute |
4' |
New |
|
| Nazard |
2 2/3’ |
|
|
| Principal |
2’ |
|
|
| Blockflute |
2’ |
|
|
| Tierce |
1 3/5’ |
|
|
| Larigot |
1 1/3’ |
|
|
| Cymbal |
II |
|
|
| Crumhorn |
8' |
|
|
| Tremulant |
|
|
|
| Trompette |
8' |
|
G |
| Trumpet Real |
8' |
New |
|
|
|
|
|
| CHOIR |
|
|
|
| Orchestral Flute |
8' |
New |
|
| Salicional |
8' |
|
|
| Vox Angelica |
8' |
New |
|
| Vienna Flute |
4' |
|
|
| Vox Humana |
8'
|
New |
|
| Tremulant |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| PEDAL |
|
|
|
| Double Open Diapason |
32’ |
|
B |
| Principal |
16' |
|
B |
| Bourdon |
16' |
|
E |
| Echo Bourdon |
16' |
|
H |
| Quintaton |
16' |
|
D |
| Octave |
8' |
|
C |
| Bass Flute |
8' |
|
E |
| Fifteenth |
4' |
|
C |
| Octave Flute |
4' |
|
E |
| Mixture 22 26 29 |
III |
|
|
| Contra Trombone |
32' |
New |
F |
| Trombone |
16' |
|
F |
| Bassoon |
16' |
|
A |
| Trumpet |
8' |
|
F |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total number of stops |
56 stops |
| Total number of ranks |
|
| Total number of pipes |
|
| Dates when key work has been undertaken on current
organ |
Tonal alterations 1978 and around 1990 F.J.Larner and Co. -
the Positive chorus work was developed further with addition of a 2 2/3
flute (made from the Nason Flute 4) and mixture, space being made for
this by the removal of the Stopped Diapason, which was installed on the
Choir in place of the Orchestral Flute. The Choir swell shutters
were removed. The Trumpet Real pipes, with impressively long bell
resonators projecting above the Positive division case, were also
replaced with pipes thought to be more “civilised”.
During 2007, the South Island Organ Company Limited (SIOC) of Timaru,
New Zealand, undertook a complete restoration of the instrument.
The actual work comprised:
1. A comprehensive restoration and refit
2. The six slider windchests and numerous off-note
chests being completely restored according to their 1964 manufacture
3. The 13 “schwimmer” style wind
regulators and five traditional single rise regulators were completely
restored ( including complete restoration and reinstatement of their
unique internal springing system with new constant force springs
obtained from the same supplier that supplied springs in 1963 to J W
Walker – thanks to the wonders of Google!!)
4. Complete cleaning and attention to the approximately 3000 pipes
5. Reinstatement of the independence of the Choir and Positive divisions
6. Reinstatement of the Choir expression shutters
7. Completion of the tonal scheme with carefully scaled and voiced stop additions
8. Replacement of the 1963 obsolete electrical
transmission system with a modern state of the art computerised system
9. Deepening of the organ shelf and enlarging the organ frame by 600mm to allow for improved internal access
10. A new aluminium University crest made by artist
Hans Arkeveld from the School of Anatomy and Human Biology now adorns
the Positive Organ case |
| Dates of any moves that have taken place to current
organ |
|
| Information on current organ |
Choir
and Positive share the lowest manual but Choir can now be played from
the top manual through a “Choir on Swell” piston. Great and
Positive key boards can be reversed so that the French keyboard layout
can be used. |
| Comparable instruments to current
organ |
|
| Current status |
|
| Assessment of organ |
|
| Other organs by this builder |
|
| Photographs |
Photographs by Patrick Elms |
| Technical documents |
|
| General documents |
Restoration of the McGillivray Organ |
| . |
|
| Supporting information |
Patrick
Elms (Patrick Elms & Co) and John Hargraves (South Island Organ
Company Limited) have been generous with information and
photographs about the organ rebuild.
The Office of Development, The University Archives and the
University Theatres departments at The University of Western
Australia have assisted with information and historical material.
|
| . |
|
| Document control |
Original entries J R Elms, OAM, Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999,2003 and 2004.
This entry D B Duncan 28 November 2008.
|
