FINCHAM AND HOBDAY PIPE ORGAN

The Fincham & Hobday Pipe Organ, located at Carngham Memorial Church, is a two manual organ with tubular pneumatic action and featuring a rare example of Fincham’s slider less windchest design. It is a rare and intact example of the organ building work undertaken by Fincham & Hobday during their partnership. The organ features two perpendicular facades with elaborate stencilled façade pipes, and a substantial blackwood case that features gothic motifs including arch timber mouldings, quatrefoil carvings and pinnacles to the top of the organ case. 

The Fincham & Hobday Pipe Organ is of historical significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criterion for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register:
Criterion B
Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.
Criterion F
Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

 

The Carngham Memorial Church Organ is a rare example of a Fincham & Hobday pipe organ, built with and retaining the slider less windchest/soundboard. Slider less soundboards were only introduced in a handful of organs including Carngham, the pedal soundboard at St Mary’s West Melbourne, and three organs in New Zealand. Despite being introduced in several pipe organs, difficulties with maintenance have resulted in many being dismantled and rebuilt since. The pipe organ is unaltered beyond the introduction of a cover to the top of the organ, and an electric blower, making it an extremely rare and intact example of Fincham’s soundboard design. 

 

The Carngham Memorial Church Organ is technically and creatively significant for the innovation demonstrated by George Fincham’s use of a slider less windchest. The soundboard design to the organ demonstrates the innovation and experimentation undertaken by George Fincham within the Australian organ building industry and his application of European organ builders’ inventions within the Australian practice. The soundboard design was adopted by Fincham to counteract the climatic effects on timber soundboards, which were prone to cracking in the dry Australian climate. The survival of the Carngham Pipe Organ is a testament to the successful application of this soundboard design at a time before water or electricity guaranteed the constant supply of wind.