Restoration of St Peter`s Church OrganPrint Page

The plaque commemorates the restoration of St Peter`s Church organ in 1983 and is in memory of Henry Green whose generosity made the restoration work possible. 

The organ in St Peter's Anglican Church Glenelg, holds a unique position in the history of South Australian organbuilding. It is both the first to have been built entirely using tubular-pneumatic action and the last to show the influence of Arthur Hobday. Hobday was negotiating his return to Melbourne in 1888. Although the firm of Fincham & Hobday remained till purchased by Dodd in 1894, no completely new instruments were constructed in the interim.

Apart from a few modifications, the organ was to remain unchanged until 1982. In early 1981 a report was commissioned from Dr David Forward and organbuilder George Stephens as to the future management of the organ. Several recommendations were made. These included the replacement of the open wood flute 8 on the Swell, with the exception of the bottom octave not original, consideration of a Mixture II or III to the Great, retention but replacement with three notches, of the original hitch bar to the swell, that the wind pressure be returned to 4½ inches and voicing be restored and the blower be replaced and located internally.

Most of the recommendations have been implemented. A new blower has been supplied. A Mixture III was added to the Great in 1983 and the Gedact 8 restored on the Swell. A Mixture II was added to the Swell in 1987 and a Twelfth to the Great in 2000. All the work was undertaken by George Stephens. Perhaps the most important recommendation was that the original organ be preserved unaltered and replaced by a new instrument should it be found to be inadequate in the future.

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