St David's Cathedral was first built in 1884 and became a Cathedral in 1916. Like many cities, Cardiff suffered badly during the second world war and the Cathedral was damaged by air raids. Reconstruction work started in the 1950s and the organ was provided by Compton in 1959.
The organ contains all the usual Compton features in that it is built on the extension principle with 10 ranks of pipes fully enclosed in 2 chambers on the west gallery and played from a detached drawstop console.
The specification reads:
PEDAL
Sub Bass 32' (polyphonic)
Contra Bass 16'
Sub Bass 16'
Echo Bass 16'
Octave 8'
Flute 8'
Flute 4'
Trombone 16'
Hautboy 16'
Tromba 8'
Choir to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell Octave to Pedal
CHOIR
Contra Dulciana 16'
Second Diapason 8'
Stopped Diapason 8'
Dulciana 8'
Vox Angelica 8'
Stopped Flute 4'
Dulcet 4'
Dulcet Twelfth 2.2/3'
Flautina 2'
Acuta III
Krummhorn (synthetic) 8'
Contra Tromba 16'
Tromba 8'
Great to Choir
Swell to Choir
Tremulant
GREAT
Sub Diapason 16'
First Diapason 8'
Second Diapason 8'
Stopped Diapason 8'
Dulciana 8'
Octave 4'
Stopped Flute 4'
Twelfth 2.2/3'
Fifteenth 2'
Mixture II
Tromba 8'
Octave Tromba 4'
Swell to Great
SWELL
Contra Viola 16'
Harmonic Flute 8'
Viola 8'
Harmonic Flute 4'
Viola 4'
Nazard 2.2/3'
Piccolo 2'
Cymbale III
Contra Hautboy 16'
Trumpet 8'
Hautboy 8'
Clarion 4'
Tremulant
ACCESSORIES
6 double touch thumb pistons to choir and pedal
6 double touch thumb pistons to great and pedal
6 double touch thumb pistons to swell and pedal
6 general thumb pistons
6 toe pistons to pedal and great
6 toe pistons to pedal and swell
4 reversible thumb pistons
1 reversible toe piston - great to pedal
1 setter thumb piston
1 general cancel thumb piston
1 balanced expression pedal with indicator - swell
1 balanced expression pedal with indicator - great/choir
Voltmeter
6 ventil switches
