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Case Study - Theatre Organ Restoration and Heritage Centre 

Programme: Heritage Grants 
Applicant: Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust 
Grant awarded: £37,800 
Project length:  

 

Summary

The Theatre Organ Trust was in possession of a significant collection of artefacts relating to Robert Hope-Jones, inventor of the Wurlitzer, and of a sound archive relating to Wurlitzer Theatre Organs. The collection was stored in inadequate conditions in various locations, most with no public access. With this project volunteers created the Theatre Organ Heritage Centre in a redundant Sunday school building. Information, artefacts and the sound archive have been displayed, providing a public attraction and a specialist resource.

A historic Wurlitzer Organ, once threatened with being broken up for spares, was acquired, restored, and housed in the Centre in a recreated 1920s cinema setting. Wurlitzer shows and demonstrations provided lively opportunities for learning about the heritage of theatre organs and the origins of cinema, alongside a programme of illustrated talks.


The aims of the project

  • To acquire and restore an early example of a Wurlitzer organ;
  • To enable the collection of theatre organ artefacts to be put on display;
  • To catalogue the theatre organ sound archive, making it accessible to the public; and
  • To expand the information available on Robert Hope-Jones and keep interest in theatre organs alive.

Benefits for heritage

  • An important example of a Wurlitzer organ was acquired and restored to playing order. The 1926 organ, one of the earliest examples remaining in the UK, was used to accompany silent movies in the late 1920s. It is now housed in a recreation of a 1920s cinema, which incorporates original features from closed cinemas, and is played at screenings of silent movies and weekly showcase recitals as well as by music students.
  • Appropriate housing and display has been created for the collection of materials and artefacts relating to the history of theatre organs and Hope-Jones. The Centre works to accepted standards of care and environmental control, which will keep the collection safe for the future.
  • The sound archive, consisting of 20,000 record titles has been made available to the public through the Centre, thanks to cataloguing work and digital recording.
  • A new use was given to a historic building that had been empty for 30 years.

Benefits for people

  • The project has created lots of opportunities for people to take part in heritage activities including historical research into early cinema design, refurbishing the building, restoring the organ, and cataloguing and digitising the sound archive. Volunteers have invested an impressive 16,000 hours in the project.
  • An interesting programme of events was created to help people learn about heritage, including guided tours, talks and silent movie events. The opening celebration featured a programme of silent films and popular music.
  • The project is a focus for community pride in an area in need of regeneration.

Lessons learnt

  • Finding suitable insurance for the project proved to be difficult and time consuming; the group recommend making this an early priority in similar future projects.

Long term benefits

  • The Centre, run by volunteers, is open to the public three days a week.
  • Increased interest and profile generated by the project mean that the collection is expanding and more heritage is being secured for the future.

The budget

 Main Project Costs £  Funding  £ 
 Acquisition of Wurlitzer  10,000  Other grants/cash  22,000
 Restoration of Wurlitzer  11,000  Non-cash contributions  38,554
 Displays and storage for collections  17,060  HLF grant (39%)  37,800
 1920s cinema recreation  5,600  Total costs  98,452


At work on the Wurlitzer Organ 

At work on the Wurlitzer Organ  

Sector

Collections 

Activity

Conservation