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Henry Willis Organ - Wesley Uniting Church

Location

8 Oxford Street,, BOX HILL VIC 3128 - Property No B5415

File Number

B5415

Level

State

[1/2]
B5415 Box Hill Wesley Uniting
[2/2]
B5415 Box Hill Wesley Uniting

Statement of Significance

This organ was built in 1877 by the major English organ builder, Henry Willis, for Findon, Kew, the mansion of the Hon. Henry "Money" Miller. Here it stood at the end of a large ballroom where it was depicted in Victoria and its Metropolis (1888). No expense was spared in the construction of the organ, with superlative materials and lavish finishes being freely employed. The instrument well exemplifies the domestic aspirations of a notable resident on Marvellous Melbourne. It is the only example of Willis' work in Victoria. In 1929 the organ was moved to the Methodist Church, Box Hill, where it survives today with little alteration from the original. Restoration work was carried out in 1969 and 1983. The fine Willis sound has been preserved, and the casework, incorporating ornately diapered pipes, is unaltered except for the lower left-and right-hand panels.
Classified: 28/07/1983

Group