Wurlitzer theatre organs in the United Kingdom
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Wurlitzer theatre organs in the United Kingdom
OR:
Wurlitzer theatre organs in the United Kingdom on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

A number of
Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
theatre organs A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements o ...
were imported and installed in the United Kingdom in the period from 1925 to just before the Second World War (1939–45). The first Wurlitzer theatre organ shipped to the UK was dispatched on 1 December 1924, and shipped in via
Southampton Docks The Port of Southampton is a passenger and cargo port in the central part of the south coast of England. The modern era in the history of the Port of Southampton began when the first dock was inaugurated in 1843. The port has been owned and op ...
. A very small, six-rank instrument, it was installed at the Picture House,
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...
, Staffordshire, where it opened on 26 January 1925. After a period in private ownership in
Sedgley Sedgley is a town in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, Sedgley is on the A459 road between Wolverhampt ...
, also in Staffordshire, during the mid-1950s, it is now installed and operational in the Congregational Church in
Beer, Devon Beer is a village and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England. The village faces Lyme Bay and is a little over west of the town of Seaton. It is situated on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and its picturesque clif ...
. More details about the Beer Wurlitzer along with photos can be found on the website http://theatreorgans.com/beerwurly/ . The second Wurlitzer
theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements ...
to be opened in Great Britain was at the Palace Cinema in Tottenham, North London. This instrument was inaugurated on 6 April 1925. Like the Beer Wurlitzer it was a 2-manual, 6-rank instrument. This organ is now located at
Rye College Rye College, formerly known as Thomas Peacocke Community College, is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Rye, East Sussex, England. History The school developed from earlier schools in Rye such as Rye Grammar ...
in East Sussex. The Trocadero
Elephant and Castle The Elephant and Castle is an area around a major road junction in London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground stati ...
Wurlitzer was the largest organ ever shipped to the UK, installed in 1930 for the grand opening of the 3,400-seater cinema.The Cinema Organ Society
 The Blackpool Opera House organ of 1939, designed by
Horace Finch Horace Finch (23 July 1906 – 28 September 1980) was an English pianist and organist. Early life and education Horace Finch was born in Clock Face, St. Helens, Lancashire, England. He began piano and organ studies in 1910 at the age of ...
, was the last new Wurlitzer to be installed in the UK. The Granada, Kingston also received a Wurlitzer in or around 1939, but most of this came from an earlier installation in Edinburgh. This was the last Wurlitzer installation to be opened, with
Reginald Dixon Reginald Herbert Dixon, MBE, ARCM (16 October 1904 – 9 May 1985) was an English theatre organist who was primarily known for his position as organist at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, a position he held from March 1930 ...
at the console. Wurlitzers made regular radio broadcasts via the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, becoming stars themselves beside their organists. The more famous of these organs were at the Empire Cinema, London, and the
Tower Ballroom, Blackpool Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in ...
, the latterly most regularly played by Reginald Dixon creating what became known as the "Blackpool sound". Many Wurlitzer organs have survived and are installed in private homes, town halls, concert halls and ballrooms throughout the country. The Cinema Organ Society has an extensive list of British cinema organs.


List of Wurlitzers in the United Kingdom


See also

*
Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
*
Theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements ...


References

{{reflist British music-related lists
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...