A Legacy in Harmony:
The Historic Pipe Organ at Manly Uniting Church

The Manly Uniting Church, originally the Manly Methodist Church, is home to a beautifully restored pipe organ with a rich and storied past. The instrument was originally built around 1900 by Charles Richardson for the Ocean Street Congregational Church in Woollahra. Following the closure of that church in the 1920s, the organ found a new home in Manly in 1925.

Installed by C.W. Leggo and later enhanced with tubular-pneumatic action, the organ underwent further repairs in 1962 by S.T. Noad & Son, which included the addition of two new stops to the Swell. In the late 1970s, due to increasing mechanical issues, the church engaged J.W. Walker & Sons (Aust.) to fully electrify the organ. This significant rebuild included the installation of an electro-magnetic action and a new electric console.

For over 60 years, Mr. Roy Freeman served faithfully as organist, mentoring many of Sydney’s future organists and enriching the worship life of the church.

Today, the organ remains fully functional, regularly serviced and maintained to ensure its future. It is open to organists who wish to play it, and enquiries are welcome.