April, 2025
Good news about the Royalty Cinema and our Wurlitzer Organ!
Here is a statement from the new lease holders:
'Briefly, the cinema will be introducing alternatives to just cinema. Of course there will be cinema screenings seven days a week, with the business introducing live music, comedy, theatre and obviously keeping the Wurlitzer Organ, currently undergoing a revamp after asbestos was removed from the cellar'.

We are awaiting news on a new relay which is currently being built by Sonic Services of Thetford. Once it is delivered to us work can begin on installing this system allowing the organ to be heard again. 

Many thanks go to the members and others who have given donations to help pay for this new relay system allowing the Wurlitzer to once again 'sing out'!
​

  



       


​                The 2019 Lunchtime Concerts at 12.30pm
                           Tuesday, 16th April : Jean Martyn
                           Tuesday, 21st May : David Lowe
                           Tuesday, 18th June : Nigel Ogden
                           Tuesday, 16th July : Stephen Austin
                           Tuesday, 20th August : Matthew Bason
                           Tuesday, 17th September : Howard Beaumont
                           Tuesday, 15th October : House Organists
                           Tuesday, 19th November : Young Organists Showcase featuring:
                                                                       Declan Poole & Lewis Scott
                                  Adults £6 (FTOP Members £5) Children £3
                                                         Tickets on the door

                                                      2019 Silent Film Presentations featuring the Wurlitzer Organ.
                               Saturday, 27th April at 7pm : Laurel & Hardy Night accomp. by Paul Gregson

                                Saturday, 25th May at 2pm : The Black Pirate accomp. by Ian Midgley
                                           
                                Saturday, 27th July at 6pm : The General accomp. by Paul Gregson

                             Saturday, 21st September at 2pm : A Cottage On Dartmoor accomp. by Mark Latimer                                         
                                             Tickets & prices from the Royalty Cinema Box Office                                                                                   
                                               

---

               
                               'LAKELAND SERENADE' CD
A brand new CD of our Wurlitzer Theatre Organ has just been released. Available at Concerts, via eBay ' Lakeland Serenade ', from the Royalty Cinema in person or via mail order (see below).

This CD of various organists playing our Wurlitzer Organ can now be purchased for £10.
For postage add £2 for UK, £4 for Europe or £5 for the rest of the World.
Please send a cheque made payable to 'Furness Theatre Organ Project' to 268 West Shore Park, Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. LA14 3XZ or contact Ann on 01229 474730

You can also now purchase this cd via ebay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wurlitzer-Organ-CD-Lakeland-Serenade/202480880346?hash=item2f24cd0ada:g:PhIAAOSwlkFb0Igx:rk:1:pf:0

---

             


                                                          
                                                                     The Season for 2018
                 Tuesday Lunchtime Wurlitzer Organ Concerts:
                                        April 17th : John Bowdler
                                        May 15th : Andrew Nix
                                        June 19th : Peter Jebson
                                        July 17th : Mark Laflin
                                       August 21st : David Ivory
                                       September 18th : Andy Quinn
                                       October 16th : House Organists
                                       December 27th : Christmas Concert 
                                        All Concerts start at 12.30pm
                             Adults £6 (FTOP Members £5) Children £3
                                               Tickets on the door

    2018 Silent Film Presentations featuring the Wurlitzer Organ :

            Saturday 21st April at 2pm: 'Speedy', a 1928 Harold Lloyd Comedy
                                                               With Paul Gregson at the Organ
            Saturday 26th May at 2pm: 'The Circus', a 1928 Charlie Chaplin Comedy
                                                                With Ian Midgley at the Organ
            Saturday 7th July at 2pm: 'The Docks Of New York', a 1928 Josef Von Sterberg
                                                               Drama with Mark Latimer at the Organ
            Saturday 25th August at 6pm: 'The Ultimate Shorts Comedy Collection Vol. 2
                                                                   With Paul Gregson at the Organ
           Saturday 20th October at 2pm: 'The Lost World', a 1925 Monster Adventure Movie
                                                                  With Mark Latimer at the Organ
                                                   Tickets £6-£7.50
                                  www.nm-cinemas.co.uk  Tel.015394 43364         
                      
Dear FTOP member/supporter,
 
As you may be aware, the Lake District National Park Authority has issued a proposal to re-develop the Royalty site and the adjacent car park as part of its Local Plan Review.  This is a consultation exercise and so it is vitally important that as many people as possible object to the plan to ensure it is stopped.
 
The plan can be viewed on the website: www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planning (search for item 162 Royalty Cinema).  Objections can be made there or more easily by sending them an email:
 
[email protected]  alternatively you can write to:
 
Local Plan Review,
Lake District National Park Authority,
Murley Moss,
Oxenholme Road,
Kendal. LA9 7RL.
 
The deadline for objections is 29th June, 2018 so there is no time to delay.
 
On a secondary matter, we have attached a copy of a letter from Cinema proprietor, Charles Morris explaining the Royalty’s difficult trading position due to locally subsidised opposition (Brewery Arts Centre).  As you will see, the cinema building is owned by South Lakeland District Council; perhaps you might also consider writing to them asking them to be more supportive of the Cinema and to agree a new and more favourable lease agreement with Charles?
 
Your assistance in these two matters would be very much appreciated.  It is vital that enough people get behind the Royalty to ensure its future survival – and that of the Wurlitzer Organ.
 
Yours sincerely,

Mark Latimer (FTOP Chairman)

  
                  2017 The 90th Anniversary Year
                 of the Royalty Cinema and Wurlitzer Organ
                            
                                           The 2017 Lunchtime Christmas Concert will be held on
                                                     Wednesday, 27th December at 12.30pm
           
                           Both the Wurlitzer Organ and the Cinema are 90 years old this year (1927)
                                 and an exciting line up of top class organists will be featured at our
                                                    Tuesday Lunchtime Concerts and Silent Movies
                               plus additional Special Events to mark this historic birthday as follows:

                                                     2017 Tuesday Lunchtime Concerts at 12.30pm
                                                       Tickets on the door : £6 (Children £3)
        18th April - Len Rawle                           15th August - Declan Poole & Ian Midgley
        16th May - Byron Jones                         19th September - Elizabeth Harrison
        20th June - Cameron Lloyd                    17th October - House Organists
        18th July - Paul Kirner 

                                                              Saturday, 22nd July at 12.30pm 
                                                                'The 90th Anniversary Concert'
                                   to celebrate both the Wurlitzer & the Cinema with Simon Gledhill
                                plus at 6pm 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame' with accomp. by David Ivory 
                        Tickets on the door are £8 for the Anniversary Concert & £6-£7.50 for the Silent Movie.
                            A special combined ticket at £13 may be purchased in advance from FTOP Sec.,
                          Ann Shipperbottom, Thyme Cottage, Market St., Dalton-in-Furness. LA15 8RE.
                                                  Cheques payable to Furness Theatre Organ Project 
                                                               Please include a stamped S.A.E.

                                                            Saturday 1920's Silent Movie Season
                                                               with Wurlitzer Accompaniment
                                                                 Tickets on the door : £6-£7.50
                            6th May at 5pm - 'The Kid Brother' with Paul Gregson
                            17th June at 1pm - 'Underworld' with Mark Latimer
                            22nd July at 6pm- 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame' with David Ivory
                            19th August at 1pm - 'IT' with Paul Gregson
                            16th September at 1pm - 'The Flying Scotsman' with Ian Midgley
                            28th October at 10.45pm - 'The Cat & The Canary' with Mark Latimer

                              December's Christmas Concert - Wednesday, 27th December at 12.30 

2017 Updates.
April :

The organ bench has been repainted.
March: The chrysloglott has now been restored to working order and sounds wonderful !


2016 Christmas Concert.
Our Annual Christmas Concert was held on Tuesday, 27th December with the largest audience of the year attending. An enjoyable time was had by all and included a soloist singer as well as community Christmas sing-a-long!

In 2016 we enjoyed a wonderful variety of concerts:
 Nigel Ogden
 Andrew Nix
 Howard Beaumont
 Damon Willets
 David Shepherd
 John Mann
 David Lobban
 House Organists
Tickets on the door: Adults £6, FTOP Members £5, Children £3

2016 Silent Film Season.
 The Ultimate Comedy Shorts Collection
                                                 accompanied by Paul Gregson.
  Sunrise (1927)
                                                 accompanied by Mark Latimer.
 Buster Keaton in The General (1926)
                                                  accompanied by Paul Gregson.
 Alfred Hitchcock's The Manxman (1929)
                                                   accompanied by David Ivory.
 Lon Chaney in The Unknown(1927)
                                                    accompanied Mark Latimer. 
Tickets: Circle£7/£6  Stalls £6.50/£5.50

September Update.
Both John Mann's & David Lobban's Lunchtime Concerts were thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The Wurlitzer will also be played before a number of classic films from the past over the next three months. Please see the Royalty Cinema's website for details at   www.nm-cinemas.co.uk
August Update.
Tuesday the 16th of August saw David Shepherd at the console for the Lunchtime Concert. David last played for our Opening Concert in 2012 and before that recorded the organ when it was still in the Rex Cinema, Stratford. He gave us two hours of delightfully played music.
The Saturday afternoon of the 27th of August sees a return visit of David Ivory, who will accompany the 1929 Silent Movie 'The Manxman'.

June Update.
Saturday, 18th June saw Mark accompanying the 1927 Silent 'Sunrise' to an appreciative audience.
Tuesday, 21st June marked Howard Beaumont's return for another very entertaining Lunchtime Concert.

May Update.
Andrew Nix gave a very popular and amusing concert on 17th May.
April Update. 
It is with sad regret that we have to report that one of our committee members has passed away. Peter Wood was a committed theatre organ lover who worked tirelessly in the promotion of this art form.
The opening concert by Nigel Ogden on April 19th was a great start to the season with around 90 people enjoying Nigel's wonderful music. He gave us a wide variety of melodies, from Strauss waltzes to Beatles pop!
The Annual General Meeting took place on Saturday 16th April at 10.30am.
Following the meeting there was an 'Open Console' for members.
March Update.
Various maintenance & new work continues, including an automatic system which opens the stage flaps to increase the general volume of the organ sound.
February Update.
Saturday, 6th February.
Paul Gregson featured the Wurlitzer during a 1940's themed evening premiering the new film 'Dad's Army'. Over 150 attended with quite a few dressing in period costumes. (see photo archive)
January Update.
The exciting news is that the lift, which has kindly been donated by a benefactor who remembers when organs would majestically rise into view, has now been installed and a wooden screen, which will match the rest of the stage front, is being built by a small team from our group. (see photo archive)



2015
December Update.
Tuesday, 29th December. 12.30pm.
The Annual Wurlitzer Christmas Concert took take place with Paul Gregson & Mark Latimer in Christmas Spirit!
Tickets on the door.
October Update.
Tuesday, 20th October. 
The final Lunchtime Concert of the Season was another entertaining event, with Mark Latimer, Declan Poole, Alan Atherton & Ian Midgley playing the Wurlitzer and Paul Gregson acting as compare. There was an 'end of term' feel throughout with some humorous moments such as when Mark held an umbrella over Ian whilst he played 'Butterflies In The Rain'! (see photo's taken by Peter Taylor in the photo archive).

DON'T MISS.......
Saturday 31st October : 11pm start.  On Halloween Night, Max Schrek scared a good sized audience in the spooky silent movie 'Nosferatu' with Mark Latimer on the organ doing an excellent job as always. 

September Update.
Saturday, 12th September.  'The National Heritage Open Day'. The cinema was open to the public from 10am 'till 1pm with the Wurlitzer Organ being featured. Mark played for the featured silent movie at half past the hour whilst Declan, Ian & Len Rawle played between films, all to an appreciative audience (see photo archive). 

Tuesday, 15th September. Len Rawle MBE gave an inspiring Lunchtime Concert  today to a large and appreciative audience. He gets so many different sounds from the organ, it was just wonderful (see archive).

Saturday, 26th September. At 1pm there will be a screening of the Silent Movie 'Orphans Of The Storm' with musical accompaniment by Micheal Holmes on the Wurlitzer.
 
August Update.
Saturday, 8th August at 5pm. Another film not to be missed in our Silent Movie Season, namely Buster Keaton in Steamboat Bill Jnr. with Paul Gregson on the Wurlitzer.
Tuesday, 18th August at 12.30pm . Mark Laflin will be our Lunchtime Concert organist.
July Update.
Tuesday, 21st July. Lunchtime Concert starting 12.30pm.  Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, Elizabeth Harrison could not play for the concert. Instead, from Blackpool, organist Stephen Austin entertained an appreciative audience. Many thanks to Stephen for stepping in at short notice.
June Update.
Tuesday, 16th June : A good audience enjoyed a wonderful Lunchtime Concert by Chris Powell. It's nearly three years since he played our Wurlitzer, along with David Ivory & David Shepherd, for the opening concert in October of 2012.
May Update.
Tuesday, 19th May : This Lunchtime Concert saw Paul Roberts playing our  Wurlitzer with Shade Black on electric piano.
Bank Holiday Monday saw David Ivory providing excellent music for the 1927 Silent Classic 'Metropolis'. (see photo archive)
April Update.
Nicholas Martin's Concert on the 21st was spectacular! The 90 strong audience were brilliantly entertained.
The Silent Comedy 'The Freshman' featuring Harold Lloyd on Easter Bank Holiday Monday was a great success even though the weather was unusually sunny & warm for this time of year! Many thanks go to Paul Gregson for providing music to fit the action throughout. Don't forget to come to our first Lunchtime Concert of this year on Tuesday, 21st April featuring the brilliant Nicholas Martin. 

Our Lunchtime Concerts for 2015 are as follows:
Tuesday, 21st April : Nicholas Martin
Tuesday 19th May : Paul Roberts
Tuesday 16th June : Chris Powell
Tuesday 21st July : Elizabeth Harrison
Tuesday 18th August : Mark Laflin
Tuesday 15th September : Len Rawle
Tuesday, 20th October : House Organists
Tuesday, 29th December : Christmas Concert with various organists.
All Lunchtime Concerts begin at 12.30pm. Tickets on the door.

2015 will also see a series of 1920's Silent Movies with music provided by the Wurlitzer.
Monday 6th April at 5pm : Hilarious comedy 'The Freshman' starring Harold Lloyd  with Paul Gregson on the organ
Monday 4th May at 1pm :  Fritz Lang's stunning film 'Metropolis'  with David Ivory on the organ
Saturday 27th June at 5pm : 'Blood And Sand' starring heartthrob Rudolph Valentino with Mark Latimer on the organ
Saturday 8th August at 5pm : The comedy 'Steamboat Bill Jnr' starring Buster Keaton with Paul Gregson on the organ
Saturday 26th September at 1pm : 'Orphans Of The Storm' starring the Gish sisters with Michael Holmes on the organ
Saturday 31st October : 11pm.  Max Schrek in the scary film 'Nosferatu'  with Mark Latimer on the organ

The 2015 FTOP AGM will be held at the Royalty Cinema, Bowness-on-Windermere  at 10.30am on Saturday, 11th April.

December 2014 Update.
A small but appreciative audience braved the sub-zero temperatures to attend our Festive Lunchtime Concert on Monday, 29th December.  They were entertained by Mark, Ian, Alan & Declan, who all gave wonderful performances. Also Mark accompanied Joan, who sang a couple of songs, and Kath who played the Flugalhorn for us. Happy New Year !

November Update.
Friday, 28th November.
A Charity Film Presentation was held showing the acclaimed film 'Mrs. Henderson Presents' starring Dame Judy Dench.
Paul Gregson played for an interlude on the Wurlitzer Organ to an enthusiastic audience.

A large audience of 170 watched the creepy Lon Chaney in the 1925 version of The Phantom Of The Opera with excellent musical accompaniment on the Wurlitzer by Mark Latimer. A gremlin with the film for a few minutes in the second half didn't stop the enjoyment!

October Update.
Almost 60 souls braved atrocious weather for the Lunchtime Concert on Tuesday, 21st October.  Mark, Ian, Alan & Paul all gave excellent performances. A raffle for the phantom piano fund raised £57. Many thanks to everyone who bought tickets to support this venture & to those who donated prizes.
Don't forget to come along to see the 1925 Silent 'Phantom Of The Opera' accompanied by Mark on our Wurlitzer on Saturday, 1st November at 8.15pm.

September Update.
John Mann's very entertaining Lunchtime Concert on Tuesday the 16th was a big success with over 90 in attendance. Who will ever forget Suzie and her shoeshine shop! (see photo archive)

August Update.
On Saturday the 23rd August, Paul Gregson will accompany the 1923 silent comedy classic, 'Our Hospitality' starring Buster Keaton. The show commences 7.45pm.
David Lowe's excellent Lunchtime Concert on Tuesday, 19th August attracted an audience of over 100 people (see photo archive).
Saturday, 16th August. A Coffee Morning at the United Reformed Church, Dalton to raise money for the organ fund.

July Update.
The one and only Welsh Wizard, Byron Jones  entertained us in grand style at the Lunchtime Concert on Tuesday, 15th July (see photo archive).
We had the pleasure of a visit from American organist David Rhodes, along with Cameron Lloyd, Steve Tovey and Ross McNeillie, whilst on holiday here in the UK.

June Update.
Saturday 28th June at 1pm.
The first film to win an Academy Award, the amazing 1927 silent film 'Wings' with accompanist Michael Holmes providing music on our Wurlitzer drew a good audience. Michael did a splendid job playing for nearly 2 1/2 hours for this marathon of films.(see photo archive)
The Tuesday Lunchtime Concert with John Barnett at the Mighty Wurlitzer was another success.

May Update.
The Tuesday Lunchtime Concert with Cameron Lloyd was a great success with a good audience despite the lovely sunny weather outside! (see photo archive).
David Ivory did a wonderful job of accompanying the 1926 silent film 'The Lodger'. The audience really showed their appreciation at the end.  (see photo archive).

April Update.
Our A.G.M was held on Saturday, 12th April followed by an open session on the organ.
Howard Beaumont entertained us brilliantly on Tuesday, 15th April, at our first Lunchtime Concert of the year.
A Coffee Morning will be held on Saturday, 19th April at the United Reformed Church, Dalton to raise funds.

March Update.
This month we have been connecting the two off-chests ready for the 16' Trumpet pipes which have been restored by F. Booths of Leeds (see photo archive).
The 16' Trumpet pipes are now in position & can certainly be heard! (see photo archive).

2014 Lunchtime Organ Concert Series.

After the successful 2013 series of Tuesday Lunchtime Organ Concerts (12.30pm start),
we are pleased to announce another  selection of organists for the 2014 season:
Howard Beaumont (see photo archive)
Cameron Lloyd
John Barnett
Byron Jones
David Lowe
John Mann
Royalty House Organists

T

2014 Silent Movies Series.
A series of classic Silent Movies from the 1920's will be accompanied by various experienced organists on our Wurlitzer:

'The Kid': A 1921 Silent starring Charlie Chaplin. Paul Gregson on the organ.

'The Lodger': A 1926 thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock.  David Ivory on the  organ.

'Wings' A stunning Silent about fighter pilots in WW1. Michael Holmes on the organ.

'Our Hospitality' A 1923 Silent starring Buster Keaton. Paul Gregson.

'Phantom Of The Opera' A chilling 1925 Silent. Mark Latimer on the organ.

December 2013 Update:
Monday, 30th December.
A really enjoyable Christmas/ New Year Lunchtime Concert was held on Monday, 30th December where just under 90 folk were  entertained by organists Paul Gregson, Mark Latimer, Alan Atherton , Ian Midgley & Declan Poole.  Joan, who sang a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria, was accompannied by Mark and to end the extravaganza a silent Laurel & Hardy Comedy (with music from our Wurlitzer) was shown.

October 2013 Update.
Tuesday, 15th  October.
An 'end of season' Lunchtime Concert was held with  resident organists Mark Latimer, Paul Gregson
 & Ian Midgley.   An appreciative audience of almost 90 enjoyed the 3 organists plus a Buster Keeton silent movie to round things off a brilliant first season of concerts. (see photo archive).

Saturday, 5th October.

A 'Masterclass' session was held from 10.30am on our Wurlitzer organ. A dozen or so people attended to watch & listen to Stephen Austin giving theatre organ technique & advice to 'student' organists. A follow up session will be held due to the overwhelming success of this first masterclass event. (see photo archive)

September 2013 Update.

Tuesday, 17th September.
A Lunchtime Concert  with Stephen Austin was a great success with over 130 folk in the audience
(see photo archive).
Saturday, 21st September.
A Silent Movie Evening starting at 7.30pm with Paul Gregson accompanying Charlie Chaplin's 'The Gold Rush'.
Tickets on the door at £5 for stalls & £6 for the balcony.

August 2013 Update.
Friday, 2nd August.
Ian Midgley & Dalton Town Band played for an evening of dancing at Dalton-in-Furness Cricket Club. Over £130 was made for the FTOP fund. Well done to all concerned.

Saturday, 10th August.
We had a visit from members of the Cinema Organ Society today who are celebrating their 60th Anniversary.
Stephen Austin played for a few minutes to demonstrate our Wurlitzer followed by an 'open console' session. Many thanks to the Northern COS group for the donation to our funds. (see photo archive)
Hear a short eextract from his mini concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNCF3WxNaJs

Tuesday, 20th August.
The Lunchtime Concert with the BBC's Nigel Ogden at our Wurlitzer was a huge success with an audience of almost 200 (see photo archive).

2013 Lunchtime Concert Series

There is a popular series of Lunchtime Concerts (consisting of a wide variety of popular music) from 12.30 - 2.25pm featuring a variety of organists on the 3rd Tuesday of the Month from April to September inclusive.
David Ivory
Peter Jebson
Matthew Bason
Kevin Morgan
Nigel Ogden
Stephen Austin
Paul Gregson, Mark Latimer& Ian MIdgley
                            

July Update.

Tuesday 16th July.
The Lunchtime Concert went extremely well today with 80 folk in attendance (with the temperature outside at a similar level! ). Dr Kevin Morgan (see photo archive) gave a wonderful concert and a number of people commented that the Wurlitzer now sounds much larger than its seven ranks (after alterations to the tremulants) . 
 An extract from the concert:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lVXabtRXxg

June Update.

Tuesday 18th June.
A very enjoyable Lunchtime Concert was given by Matthew Bason, with almost 80 in attendance (see photo archive).

Wednesday, 26th June.
This morning we were privileged to have Robert Hope-Jones and his Mother visit us whilst they were on a short holiday in the Lake District (see photo archive).  Robert is the great great nephew of his namesake, the genius inventor who devised the orchestral organ in the early 1900's which became the Mighty Wurlitzer Cinema organs that were built for the cinemas in the 1920's and 30's. 

May Update.

Well known organist John Mann called to see & play our Wurlitzer (see photo archive).

Howard Beaumont played our Wurlitzer for a couple of hours today whilst on holiday in the area.
(see photo archive) 

Peter Jebson entertained the audience with a wonderful Lunchtime Concert today (see photo archive).

April Update.
The first in our series of Lunchtime Concerts went very well. David Ivory superbly entertained an audience of 70 people. Well done to all who helped put on a great show.
(see photo archive)

See a short clip of the concert on Youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M2AX2ugAWM&feature=youtu.be

Our AGM was held at the Royalty Cinema on  Saturday, 13th April, 2013 at 11am.

March Update.
David England, who restored the organ to working condition in the late 1960s after many years of silence, was today reunited with our Wurlitzer. To say he was thrilled would be an understatement! (see photo archive)
Thursday, 7th March.
 The Chrysloglott has been brought to the cinema after being squeezed into an estate car with 1/2" to spare! Now we just need to get it to work!! (See photo archive) 

The Silent Movie Evening at the Royalty Cinema was a great success considering the atrocious weather of recent days. Almost 80 people came to enjoy a magical evening in the company of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, Pearl White and Buster Keaton with Paul Gregson providing music on our Wurlitzer. Ian Midgley played for the 20 minute interval.

2012 :

December Update. 
Friday, 28th December

The Lunchtime Christmas Concert at the Royalty Cinema featuring Resident Organists  Paul Gregson, Mark Latimer and Ian Midgley on the Wurlitzer was a great success with over 100 folk attending.

November Update.
28th November
The blower and relay can now be switched on from the console making life easier for the organist!
A doorbell has been fitted for use in silent movies.

20th November
Nigel Ogden from BBC Radio 2 recorded the organ for his radio show to be broadcast on Tuesday, 11th December.

Friday, 2nd November
Another  Supper Dance in aid of the Organ Fund took place at Dalton Cricket Club.

October Update.
The Wurlitzer was  featured before some of the James Bond movie showings.
Gala Opening Concert

The official opening concert took place on Saturday, 6th October, 2012.
There was an afternoon concert with three organists performing on our Wurlitzer Organ, namely Chris Powell along with Guest Artistes David Ivory and David Shepherd.
At 2pm the Mayor of Windermere cut a ribbon to officially  launch our Wurlitzer in front of an appreciative audience of over two hundred people from all over the UK, which was followed by an enjoyable couple of hours of music. (see photo archive)
Then at 7.30pm there was be a Silent Film Presentation including the 1922 film 'Safety Last',  with music to accompany the comedy films played by Paul Gregson and David Ivory on the Wurlitzer. This event also attracted a large number of people, totalling over 180.

September Update.

The rest of the Tibia pipes have now been collected from the organ works along with all of the Diapason rank. 
Alan, our joiner, is cutting two large openings into the stage to release more sound from the chambers for the opening concert. (see photo archive)
Final tuning for the opening concert has been taking place.

August Update.
Tuesday, 14th August & Wednesday, 15th August
The organ was heard on the radio on both these days, firstly on Nigel Ogden's show on Radio 2 played by David Shepherd in the early 1970's and then played 'live' by Mark on the Wednesday morning on Radio Cumbria!

Tuesday, 7th August
Today we managed to get the Glockenspiel working, which was far from easy!

July Update.
For the rest of July and August we hope to feature the Wurlitzer before the afternoon matinees for 25 minutes.
Wednesday, 11th July
We had a visit from Blackpool organists Stephen Austin & John today, who both played for our enjoyment. What a treat!
(see photo archive)

Tuesday, 10th July
The registration pistons have been set up with some settings. The bass drum and crash cymbal have been mounted in the void between the swell shutters and the speaking holes.

Thursday, 5th July
The console registration pistons are now working.

June Update.

The Theatre Organ Club has generously given us £500 towards the project.

Wednesday, 13th June

The Trumpet rank was collected from Booths of Leeds and installed in the Solo Chamber.
(See photo archive)

Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th of June
The organ was played for the first time for the cinema patrons from 1.30pm until 2pm before the matinee film (Men In Black 3)  by Ian, Mark and Paul on consecutive days. The organ behaved impeccably and the public seemed to enjoy the experience.

May Update.
Saturday, 26th May

 A Celebration Organ Concert took place in St. Bridgets Church, Moresby, Cumbria.
Featured organists were Paul Gregson, Stephen Griffeths, Mark Latimer and Derek Matthews.

Friday,18th May 
The Buffet Dance, held at Dalton Cricket Club, made over £200. 

Thursday, 17th May

The xylophone and some of the toy counter (the percussion instruments) are  now working.

Thursday, 10th May, 2012

Yet another milestone occurred today when David Ivory (the last organist at the Rex Cinema, Stratford)
played the Wurlitzer for the first time since 1973! (see photo archive)

Thursday, 3rd May, 2012
Another milestone today when two 8 ft by 2 ft speaking holes were cut in the stage front and grilles fitted.

April Update.
Saturday, 28th April 2012

The AGM was held in the Royalty Cinema, Bowness-on-Windermere.
The organ was played by Ian Midgley for members before the meeting. 

Saturday, 14th April 2012

The Silent films evening at the Roxy, Ulverston, with music played by Paul Gregson on the electronic organ, raised around £450 towards the project. Well done to all concerned.

March Update.
Thursday, 8th March 2012

 At 12 noon today the blower was switched on and the organ was heard for the first time in nearly 40 years. Now the work begins to rectify any faults and tune the pipes which are in situ.     
A truly momentous day!  

February Update.

The restored violin, violin Celeste and Vox Humana pipes were collected from the organ works in Leeds.