MARGARET STREET UNITING CHURCH ORGAN

ORGAN, MARGARET STREET UNITING CHURCH

The organ in the Albert Hall is often discussed, but less well known is the impressive pipe organ in the Trinity Uniting Church, 96 Margaret Street (on the corner with Balfour Street)

If you are interested in the specifications of the organ, they are recorded in detail on the Organ Historic Trust of Australia website (ohta.org.au), along with a little of its history.

The organ was originally in the Paterson Street Wesleyan Methodist Church, where it had been installed in 1880. It was not, as one might think a sharing between the sister churches – but a purchase and donation by local businessman J H Hart in 1920, that made its installation in Margaret street possible. Considerable modifications were made during the relocation, including the addition of an electric motor! (All the details can be found in an article published in The Telegraph on September 4^th 1920). The inscription on the organ reads “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.”

In honesty, I have to confess that my brain glazes over more than a little when I read long account of the measurement and construction of pipes and suchlike (although I realize this is of great fascination for some), but I have had the great pleasure of hearing the organ played, and can vouch for its powerful resonance.

UPDATE:  The sale of the property means that it will be used as a fitness studio rather than a church, and in June 2018, it seemed likely that the organ would be purchased by the Anglican Church and installed in All Saints Church in South Hobart.