Issue 30 Winter 2009/10 Your Letters 4
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Winter 2009/10 2009/10 Winter Contents Lancastria VOX Editor’s Desk Peter Ratcliffe 3 Journal of the Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust Registered Charity 261487 From the Chair Don Hyde 3 Issue 30 Winter 2009/10 Your Letters 4 Patron Stockport Heritage Event Vacant Graham Kingston 4 Trustees Don Hyde Chairman The Mighty Wurlitzer David Alldred Acting Secretary From Sea to Shining Sea Colin Smith M.I.C.M. Treasurer Walter Baker Brian Marsden 5 Peter Ratcliffe Eric Halsall C.Eng. M.I.E.E. Reminiscences Joyce Alldred 6 Vic Matthews Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Where is it Now - Mike Dawson The Gaumont, Oldham, Wurlitzer Neil Hepworth 8 Honorary President Frank D. Read Wonder of Woollies Honorary Vice Presidents Michael Holmes 10 Joyce Alldred L.L.C.M. Doreen Chadwick 2008 A.G.M. Minutes 11 Nigel Ogden Len Rawle Acting Secretary's Report 18 Head of Technical Team Eric Halsall C. Eng M.I.E.E. 50 Years at the Cinema Organ Membership Secretary Norman Scott 19 Michael Holmes Penny Weedon, Concert Report Editor-Vox Lancastria Stephen Austin 20 Peter Ratcliffe Heritage Centre Manager The Lafayette Wurlitzer Roger Fisher Jeff Barker 21 Assistant Editor Graham Kingston New Faces Update Joyce Alldred 23 Past Chairmen Les Barlee 1968-1973 Welcome Home Plaza Frank D Read 1973-1996 Sylvia James 23 Web Sites www.voxlancastria. org.uk The Isle of Mann’s Mighty Wurlitzer www.ltot.org.uk Len Rawle 24 e-mail addresses Chairman [email protected] From the Archives Secretary [email protected] D. Alldred collection 26 Treasurer [email protected] Membership [email protected] Heritage Centre [email protected] More Theatre Organist's Compositions Technical [email protected] Stephen Austin 27 Vox Editor [email protected] Sales [email protected] Diary Dates 28 2 From the NEW Editors Desk From the Chair Peter Ratcliffe Don Hyde Hello everyone, Peter here. A Happy New Year to You Following my request for a Harmonium can I first All. extend my grateful thanks to member Bob Clarry for his Those of you who have been members of the L.T.O.T. generous offer of a 111-year-old instrument. The for many years will know me, and those of you who intended venue for the instrument is one of Cheshire have joined in the past seven years may not. This is the most historic timbered building, Bramhall Hall, built in second time I have taken on the mantle of Editor of the 1400's and was the family seat of the Davenport VOX; the first time was in about 1991 up until 2002. Family. Arrangements are now being made to bring the This position within the Trust comes second in line to instrument to the location where it will be used in the the most difficult and time consuming of all which is the historic chapel. This was the Davenport Family that an Secretary, because whatever is done by either holder it area of Stockport was named after, as was the Davenport causes disagreement in some form with the rest of the Theatre where one of the Theatre Organs we have membership. rescued was originally installed. This instrument is the one that we are at present involved in negotiations to re- As you may know I resigned as a Trustee in January install in the Theatre Royal in Hyde and we hope to give 2009, but following approaches from a couple of the an update on the situation in the near future. remaining Trustees, I rescinded my resignation (which While talking of organs we have rescued, I should just had not been formally accepted or acknowledged), and mention the ex Pyramid Christie organ that we recently returned in August 2009. I would like to place on record had to remove from the Blue Coat School in Oldham. the assistance given by my colleague David Alldred in We have had an approach of a possible home in preparing this edition of Vox. Morecambe but it is looking as if the time scale might be far too long so I would like to have some kind of This will be the last edition of VOX in A4 format; the backup. Can I therefore put out a request to all our next will be in A5. This should hopefully help reduce members to please have a look around to see if any of printing and postage costs. We will however maintain you can suggest another possibility. Obtain as many our high quality. Remember also that we are only details as you can and please drop me a line at the going to produce two copies per year, but in-between address below so we can investigate. As you know this issues there will be the LTOT NEWS. Now in order for Christie Theatre Organ is unique in so far as it was the either of these publications to reach you, I need items only Theatre Organ anywhere in the world that had to fill the pages, and to enable me to do this I need carved Egyptian Heads on the Console, so from an YOUR help. Please send in anything that is of interest Heritage point of view we must do all in our power to to the Theatre Organ World. We used to have a very preserve this instrument and no way must we even reliable circle of correspondents that kept me supplied consider selling it. with plenty of information; unfortunately time has Now moving onto another matter. For some time now I marched on and we have lost many of our friends. have been collecting information to put together a series You may have a memory of a particular Theatre or of documentaries about all the organs the Trust has Cinema or Organist that you do not think is worth the rescued, the idea being to research the history of these mention, but until you tell other people about it, you or instruments then add this information to film/video of they will never know, and if two or three people do that our restoration and use to them. So far I have put sort of thing, then we can soon fill a magazine, and together the story of the Publix One Wurlitzer and I am entertain fellow members. Since it became known that I now part way through the Gaumont Wurlitzer Story. I was back as Editor, I have been asked if we can keep the am presently collecting Heritage material for the articles featured on a more “Homely” basis in the Pyramid Christie organ and the Davenport Compton majority of content and less overseas news. This I will organ and it is regarding these two that I am making a try my best to do, but as I have just said, “I NEED request to all our members for help. I am looking for any YOU!” It is very disheartening at times when you know video, film or other historic information that any how much effort a fellow Trustee has put into a project member has or might know about. Did any of you ever and the result is received with little or no support. video these two organs when they were in situ. I am Remember just because you do not see ALL Trustees at looking for anything that could be used in putting these ALL events, it does not mean that they are not active in two documentaries together. their duties, but rather (as in my case) carrying out full In addition to the above I have just completed a short time employment, or answering other calls on their time. documentary on the new research we have done into Robert Hope-Jones. Eventually the idea is to have a Peter. LTOT History and Heritage Documentary available on Contact me at : 93 Bracadale Drive, Stockport. SK3 DVD, so please put a bit of effort into help on this one. 8RY [email protected] Many Thanks. 3 Vox Lancastria Your Letters Basically, the Town Hall Ballroom was hired and the LTOT were asked if they would like to ‘present’ the Dear David, WurliTzer in all it’s aspects in an Open House event th from 6.00pm to 9.00pm on October 27 . This entailed I have been associated with the L.T.O.T. since its providing an Organist (Ian Gough) to play regular and inauguration. Initially, my mother became a member short musical interludes, giving guided tours of the and as a family living in Sale at that time, we all Chambers, and having members of the Technical Team regularly attended the Concerts both at the Odeon and on hand to answer questions. The Sales Stall was also on Gaumont Theatres, followed by others at the Free Trade hand – along with its usual band of enthusiastic helpers Hall. – to promote the Trust’s goods and to assist in raising After my mother passed away in 1996, I took over the awareness of what the Trust is all about. membership, but then a couple of years later, my Details and posters were sent to the Head Teachers of all husband and I moved to Southport. the secondary education establishments in the area for Circumstances subsequently prevented us attending the them to pass on to their Music departments inviting various concerts, although I did manage to visit the pupils to the event (which, in itself, meets one of the Heritage Centre for one of their Concerts, in March Trust’s requirements as a Charity to engage outside 2006.