Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, Perth
The pipe organs of Western Australia

Photos: Bruce Duncan





 
Photos: Boyd Peters

Property
Name of institution	Convent of the Sisters of Mercy
Type of institution0	Church
Street Address	Victoria Square
City	Perth
State	Western Australia
Postcode	6000
Country	Australia
Name of building	Convent of the Sisters of Mercy
Name of room	Chapel of the Immaculate Conception
Dates of the building	1924
Register of Heritage Places	Registered 21 Oct 1980
Heritage Place number	04327
Architect	E. LeB. Henderson (also architect of St. Joseph's Church, Subiaco)
Builder
Special architectural features and fittings	Built in red brick, the Chapel's architectural style was unique at the time to the Australian environment and climate. The aisle ceilings are constructed in the groined and vaulted style of early English or 13th century Gothic. The ceiling of the nave is half groin, vaulted with richly moulded panels. The Chapel still retains its monastic setting. In the early days, the Sisters prayed the Prayer of the Church, consisting of Psalms, hymns and prayers, were said by alternate sides, hence the stalls facing each other. The stalls are of polished jarrah; work carried out by Ahern's Ltd. The altar, statue pedestals and sanctuary floor are of white Italian marble, carried out to design by Wilson, Gray and Co. The two small statues on the altar were magnificently sculptured in Italy for the purpose. The adoring angels, also in Carrara marble, were executed in Italy. The credence is designed into the wall of the sanctuary. The ceilings and ornamental plasterwork were originally done by R. Tindale, modeller and were of excellent workmanship. The Sacristy is complete with furniture in oak with accommodation for all accessories.
Other location information	The Chapel is part of the Mercedes College group of buildings, and is approached by a flight of steps to a large porch on the west end. It has three other approaches from the Convent verandah and balcony by means of gangways - the centre one being surmounted by the belfry. The bell was specially cast at Metters foundry, and is of a very pleasing tone. The murals by Fra Angelico, depicting the Coronation of Mary, were the work of a crippled Italian nun who painted the work on separate canvas segments. When in Rome in the early 1930s, Mother Brigid Mc Donald purchased them for the Chapel. They were installed in the dome in the 1940s by D C Perrott. Other noteworthy features of the Chapel are the statues of Our Lady and St Joseph purchased in Dublin by Mother McDonald. In the main porch is the painting of Murillo's Immaculate Conception, copied by a French artist, P. Michel, Paris, under the patronage of one of the Popes, it seems, or so the presence of the Papal Coat of Arms seems to testify. The two oil paintings at the back of the chapel are:-     - The Unbelief of Thomas     - The Ridiculing of Christ by the Soldiers. From the markings on the back of the canvas both were painted in 1845 and of Spanish origin. However little is known of their early history or of how they came to be in the possession of the Sisters of Mercy, Perth.
Name of contact
Mailing Address	PO Box C114 East Perth 6000
Telephone	(08) 9325 4155
Email
Other contact information	Curator of Cultural Collections 86 Victoria Square Mobile 0438 633 539
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Previous organ(s)
Date of previous organ	None
Detail of previous organ
Dates when key work has been undertaken
Dates of any moves that have taken place
Variations from original design of organ
Information on previous organ
Information about comparable instruments to previous organ
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Present organ
Type of installation	Freestanding
Case description	Two towers and three flates
Placement in room	Rear gallery
Builder's name	W.L. Roberts Ltd., Adelaide
Opus number	82
Date of completion/installation	1926
Construction materials	Jarrah
Number of manuals	Two (2)
Key compasses	CC-ccc
Number of keys	61
Key material
Pedal compass	CC-g
Number of pedals	30
Pedalboard type
Pedalboard material
Type of chests
Type of key action	Electro-pneumatic
Type of stop action	Electro-pneumatic
Couplers	Swell to Great Swell Octave to Great Swell Suboctave to Great Great and Pedal combinations coupled Swell Octave Swell Suboctave Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal.
Tremulants	Swell
Accessories	3 thumb pistons each manual Toe pistons to swell and pedal, full organ reversible toe lever
Console type	Detached drawstop
Stop label material
Placement	Angled jambs
General design
Playing aids	Swell shoe
Divisions	Great, Swell, Pedal
Wind pressures
Stop list	GREAT Open Diapason 8' Metal Hohl Flute 8' Octave 4' Chimney Flute 4' Twelfth 2 2/3' Fifteenth 2' Cornopean 8' A . SWELL Violin Diapason 8' Lieblich Gedeckt 8' Viola da Gamba 8' Viole Celeste 8' TC Gemshorn 4' Flageolet 2' Mixture 19,22 II Bassoon 16' A Cornopean 8' A Clarion 4' A . PEDAL Harmonic Bass 32' Derived Subbass 16' B Bourdon 16' Octave 8' C Bass Flute 8' B Octave 4' C Bassoon 16' A Cornopean 8' A Clarion 4' A .
Total number of stops	26
Total number of ranks	17
Total number of pipes	1,115
Dates when key work has been undertaken on current organ	Originally built by W.L. Roberts Ltd. as a 15 stop organ with tubular-pneumatic action at a cost of £1,194.00.00. The original stoplist was: Great Organ: No. 1. open diapason, 8ft..' 61 notes;. No. 2. hohl flue, 8ft., 6l notes; No. 3. dulciana, 8ft.. 61 notes; No. 4. principal. 4ft..1 61 notes; No. 5. lieblich flute. 4ft.. 61 notes. Swell to great. Swell Organ: No. 1. Open diapason. 8ft.. 61 notes; No. 2. Lieblich gedact, 8ft., 61 notes: No. 3. viol d'gamba, 8ft.. 61 notes; No. 4. viox celeste, 8ft., 54 notes; No. 5. gemshorn, 4ft. 61 notes; No. 6. oboe 8ft.. 61 notes. swell octave, swell -sub. octave; tremulant Pedal Organ: No. 1. harmonic bass, 32ft.; No. 2. sub.- bass. 16ft.; No. 3. bourdon, 16ft, 18 pipes from great 3; No. 4, bass flute, 8ft.. 18 pipes from. No. 2. great to pedal, swell .to pedal. Accessories: Manual pistons. 3 to swell organ, 3 to great organ; pedal pistons, 3 to swell organ /(duplicate to manual pistons). 3 to great organ (duplicate to manual pistons); 1 to great to pedal (on or off). Hitching pedal, grand organ; balanced crescendo pedal for swell, organ; detached console and organ bench; electric motor and Peco blower; tubular pneumatic action. applied throughout. Electrified with additional coupler 1950's Paul F. Huffner. Rebuilt 1983 F.J. Larner & Co.  Great chorus replaced. new upperwork added, reed unit installed to the Swell. Restored 1999 Pipe Organ Builders and Services.  Chests, stop actions and regulators attended to, no tonal changes.
Dates of any moves that have taken place to current organ	None
Information on current organ	The pipe organ was made possible by a donation of £1200 from Miss McArdle, a generous benefactor of the Sisters of Mercy.
Comparable instruments to current organ
Assessment of organ and current status	In good condition 2008
Other organs by this builder	William Leopold Roberts built three organs in Perth, but many others in other states of Australia. St. Andrew's Prebyterian Church, Perth Perth College Chapel, Mount Lawley Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, Perth An organ which had been attributed to him at Christ Church, Claremont, was found to have been built by another organ builder.
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Document control	Original entries J R Elms, OAM, Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999, 2003 and 2004. This entry D B Duncan 16 November 2008. Contact information updated 08 April 2010 with detail from Sr Joan Smith. Photographs by Bruce Duncan 14 November 2008. Information from Organs and Organsists, The West Coast Story. OHTA 2004. Updated specification from Patrick Elms 04 January 2011. Contact details updated 12 January 2013 by Sr Joan Smith. Contact details updated 18 July 2014 by Annie Q Medley. Historical information sourced by Dr Andrew Gardner March 2016. New photographs by Boyd Peters 13 February 2023.