History of the Hobday Organ
It was August 1905 (the 8th Sunday after Pentecost) when the organ at the Basilica now the Metropolitan Cathedral was opened. The organ was built by Hobday at a cost of £1100 and an extra £400 was spent to install the electric mechanical blowers to supply the wind for the organ. The organ received rave reviews at the time some saying “New Zealand need never go beyond its own confines for such a commodity as a church organ” and a quote by Cyril Towsey (the organist who played it for the opening service and concert) who said ,“I have no hesitation in saying it is the best organ in Wellington”. The New Zealand times says of the organ it is “the finest in the city – perhaps in the colony”. The organ and its tonal qualities were every bit a credit to Arthur Hobday.
The organ served well in its early years but after 30 years it was in need of a major overhaul. Unfortunately, it was the time of the Depression, followed by World War II and the work was delayed. In 1942 and the Masterton earthquake the building itself was under threat and work was further delayed. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the organ was worked on by the Auckland firm of George Croft and Sons. During this time, the organ was renovated with new electro-pneumatic action (replacing the original pneumatic action), a new detached console separate from the organ casework, and two minor tonal changes made.
In 1991 the South Island Organ Company performed a major overhaul and enlargement of the instrument. New casework, repairs to the electro-pneumatic action, new console and 15 new stops were added.
Arthur Hobday
Arthur Hobday (1851-1912) was born in England and migrated to Australia with his family in 1853. His father Joseph was an organist and found several appointments as organist at churches around Gelong. It is here that it is likely Arthur has first come in to contact with George Fincham (organ builder) installing organs for churches at which his father played. At 14 years of age (in 1866) Arthur was apprenticed to George Fincham in Melbourne and was subsequently employed by the firm. It appears from early notes in wages books that Arthur was working from even the earliest times on voicing, letter writing, finance and meetings with clients. This confidence in Arthur’s skills led Fincham to post him to Adelaide in 1881 to start a branch of the company there. Following this success, he bought in to the company and became a partner in 1888. It wasn’t until 1894 that Hobday first came to New Zealand to scout for work as the economic situation back in Australia worsened. New Zealand organists were taken with Hobday’s abilities at voicing instruments and several churches around New Zealand employed Fincham and Hobday to extend, rebuild or revoice their instruments. During this time however, there were issues with what was supplied from the factory back in Australia to Hobday in New Zealand and Hobday was left to make good on promises and level of finish. Regardless of this fact, Arthur’s attention to detail resulted in many happy clients. Despite several years of work in NZ by Hobday the partnership fell apart in 1896 and this is when Arthur and his family moved to Wellington, New Zealand to start up his own firm.
In Wellington Arthur set up a workshop on Sydney Street and began to garner churches from around New Zealand. Organs for St Thomas, Newtown, St Joseph’s Buckle Street, St Gerard’s Monastery and of course our own for the then Basilica of the Sacred Heart were among just some of the local organs created. Of those listed above only two survive, and only ours is in playable condition.
Arthur Hobday continued until his death in 1912. Following the recent death of his wife, and his own failing mind he took his own life at the family home in Newtown. The firm was survived by his son who continued for a few years before closing the business.
