Out of the Past

The congregation of St. Paul’s in Wiarton, Ont., has been celebrating the work, the worship and the word of God for 136 years—123 of those years in its present building. The building is magnificent. The oak pews hug the pulpit in a semi-circle providing everyone with a perfect view of the communion table. There is something to be said for the beauty of old buildings.

Conversely, old buildings like this one were not made with the elderly or disabled in mind. St. Paul’s sanctuary is not accessible, providing us with a ponderous dilemma: how to alter the old to accommodate all, and then, even more daunting, how to fund it?

We have taken the first step and established an accessibility fund. We have done a lot of praying along with number crunching. We are looking into accessibility grants but in the meantime we have looked to ourselves to see what we have to offer to the community. And we do have something: our beautiful pipe organ.

The pipe organ at St. Paul’s was built and installed by Breckels and Matthews of Toronto in March 1906, 14 years after the first services were held in this building in March 1892. At that time, it cost $1,500 and was purchased with the assistance of a $750 Carnegie grant. It has been in regular use at worship services ever since.

The organ has two manuals, 16 stops and couplers, 515 pipes, and features the original tubular pneumatic action and cone tuning. It was originally 
operated with a manual bellows that still exists, in working condition, behind the choir loft; an electric blower was installed mid-last century. The casework is oak and the pipes on the façade feature their original hand-painted decoration. Electronic chimes were added to the organ in 1965.

Breckels and Matthews, the builder, was in operation from the 1890s to 1911, when the firm became the Matthews Church Organ Company. This company went out of business in the 1930s. Other Breckels and Matthews organs can be found in Ontario, but most have undergone extensive alterations.

The organ at St. Paul’s is one of very few Breckels and Matthews organs still in its original condition. Last September, St. Paul’s hosted an organ recital and hymn sing. David Tupper was the featured organist. Tupper served as an educator in both vocal and instrumental music for 33 years, as well as director of music at St. George’s Anglican, and St. Andrew’s, Owen Sound.

We raised $1,390.

How apropos, using something of the past to provide for the future. And as we see it, it was win-win for everyone. The larger community, who otherwise may never have entered a Presbyterian church, also got to hear the wonderful sounds of our organ and we have taken our next step towards accessibility.