Wurlitzer is ready to pipe up again!

8:07am Sunday 20th April 2008

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The Mighty Wurlitzer organ is set to become a crowd-puller at Saltaire's Victoria Hall following a major renovation.

First used in the 1930s to accompany "talkie" films, the seven-ton organ has been in the care of the Cinema Organ Society since the 1960s after it was removed from an old picture house.

Now worth £800,000, it is to be installed in Victoria Hall once building work has been completed in August.

It will be installed on a hydraulic platform in the main hall and provide entertainment for thousands of visitors who flock to the historic building each year.

Thanks to a new partnership between the Salt Foundation - Saltaire's charity partnership - Shipley College and the Cinema Organ Society, the Wurlitzer will become a permanent attraction.

Geraldine Whelan, chairman of the Salt Foundation, said: "The organ will almost certainly be the centrepiece of international conventions, with performances by the very best organists. Such an attraction will bring visitors to the area."

Built by the famous American Wurlitzer company and originally installed in the Gaumont cinema in Oldham in 1937, the white and gold organ is made of 700 pipes.

They range from the width of a pencil to 12 inches in diameter, each producing a distinct sound.

Godfrey Nield, chairman of the Northern District of the Cinema Organ Society, said: "There are not many left in this country now, with the most famous one in the Blackpool Tower ballroom.

"It starts off down below and gradually rises up to stage-level and, when the organist has finished playing, it drops down again. It is a wonderful thing to see."

The society has covered some of the cost of installing the Wurlitzer and is applying for grants from the Arts Council and Business for the Arts.

Saltaire architects Rance Booth and Smith will carry out the renovation, which is expected to affect two rooms in Victoria Hall and cost around £100,000.

Allan Booth, a partner in the company, said: "Much of the work involved will be concealed from view and the challenge has been to accommodate the housing of the organ pipework and the lifting mechanism within the existing structure, whilst not destroying any of the historic features of the grade II* listed building."

Mr Nield said he hoped Bradford Council would contribute to the cost of bringing the major attraction to the city.

He said: "We are delighted to be able to give a new and permanent home to the organ.

"Although 70 years old, this fabulous society-owned instrument is in very good condition and will be a perfect addition to Victoria Hall.

"It would cost millions of pounds to build at current-day prices."

Stacey Clarkin, manager of Victoria Hall, said: "This is a really exciting opportunity to give Victoria Hall another unique feature."

The last Mighty Wurlitzer organ to be played in Bradford was removed from the Odeon in Princes Way in 1968. It is kept at a new centre in County Durham.