From: David Redfern, March 2003
The Wurlitzer was a 3c/8 (manual 3 coupler) and the ranks were Tibia Clausa, Diaphonic Diapason, Flute, Violin, Violin Celeste, Vox Humana, Clarinet and Style D Trumpet plus the usual percussions and a grand piano.
It was installed in the Plaza (later Granada) Mansfield in 1936 and was the second of 6 Wurlitzers built to that specification for Granada Cinemas, the others being Bedford, Wandsworth Road, Woolwich, Greenwich and East Ham. The organ was removed from the cinema in 1973 shortly before demolition by John Madin who subsequently sold it to Graham and Julie Fields. They bought the former Methodist Chapel in Bank Road, Matlock, converted it and then reinstalled the Wurlitzer. The re-opening concert was in 1995 and I have played either 2 or 3 concerts there myself since then. The whole of the organ is at Matlock with the exception of the grand piano which was removed from the Granada some years before the closure. I think that it went to the Granada Grantham were there was a small 3c/5 Compton. Granadas often used to move the pianos around from one cinema to another. I heard recently that there will be only one further concert with the Matlock Wurlitzer, as both the building and the organ are up for sale. I understand that the owner, Graham Fields and his family are planning to move abroad.