We are currently installing the new 24-stop organ for All Saints incorporating 11 ranks of the old 1873 TC Lewis organ. A new gallery has been built at the rear of the church to house the organ and the choir. The organ is divided on either side of the west windows; with the Swell and Great on the southern side and the Pedal on the other. This layout allows an unobstructed view of the windows designed by the noted artist, William Bustard. The organ’s casework is based on the screen detail of the Lady Chapel.

The organ has balanced mechanical key and pedal action, electric stop action, double-rise bellows and a detached console with a modern multi-level capture system. The Swell to Great coupler is available either mechanically or electrically. The Swell Octave is electric and the Pedal couplers are mechanical. The action will run in the framework of the gallery.
The additional pipework is to be scaled according to T.C. Lewis philosophy and the soundboards are based on his dimensions and ethos. Most importantly, the Swell and Great will be together and arranged in the traditional fashion so as to blend the sound. This is not the case in the present organ which has suffered from the distance between the divisions. The double-rise bellows are located directly underneath the manual soundboards.

The addition of the upper work is along standard Lewis lines. Given the size of the building, it was decided to use a Clarinet instead of a Trumpet on the Great to obtain colour and variety rather than power. The present Swell strings and Oboe are being replaced with new pipework based upon Lewis’ scaling and tone. A Swell Bourdon may have been desirable but space restrictions prevented this.

There is not enough height in the Pedal to fit an Open Wood 16′ but the Subbass 16′ is scaled from a large Walker 1884 rank to provide a similar foundation for the Pedal.
This concept is trying to retain as much of the Nineteenth Century flavour as possible whilst utilising some modern technology. T.C. Lewis was one of the greatest organ builders to work in England and his ideas are still valid today.

Completion is scheduled for the middle of 2006. The organ consultant is Mr Phillip Gearing of Toowoomba.

Our workshop has rapidly been filled with a number of large boxes which will become the new 16′ Subbass

The specification proposed is:
GREAT

Bourdon		        16'	
Open Diapason		8'*
Rohr Flote		8'*
Salicional		8'*
Octave			4'*
Rohr Flote		4'*
Octave Quint		2 2/3'
Super Octave		2'
Mixture			II
Clarionet		8'		
					


SWELL

 
Geigen Diapason		8'*
Lieblich Gedact   	8'*
Viol de Gambe 		8'
Voix Celeste		8'
Geigen Principal	4'*
Piccolo			2'**
Mixture 		II
Trumpet			8'*
Oboe			8'

PEDAL

						
Subbass			16'
Bourdon			16'*	 
Bass Flute		8'*
Violoncello		8'
Posaune			16'		

 

COUPLERS

Sw-Gt (mech. or electric)
Swell Octave (electric)
Swell Sub(electric)
Sw-Ped, Gt-Ped

Tremulant
* Original T.C. Lewis
** Palmer pipework