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The Paramount Manchester
was opened in October 1930 and was originally going to be one of a series of 50
proposed Paramount Theatres, these were to be equipped with Publix One Theatre
Organs. Only one was finally installed at the Paramount Manchester. It is now
known that the Manchester Publix One was the only one of that model to leave
the United States. The photograph at the left shows Charles Smart, the
organist who played the organ at the Theatres opening, practicing just before
the opening, notice that the Console is not yet quite complete, the
small console caps are missing and the word "Wurlitzer" has not yet
been painted on the panels either side of the manuals. When the Odeon Cinema
was converted into a multicinema the Wurlitzer was acquired by the Trust in the
face of attempts from overseas theatre organ societies to purchase it. The
organ was installed in the Free Trade Hall over a period of four years and was
opened to the public in a special BBC Organists Entertains program in September
1977. The Organ was placed on loan to the City of Manchester.
The "Publix One" model Wurlitzer has 4 manuals and
20 ranks of pipes. The specification of the Organ was drawn up by Jesse
Crawford, who in the 1920-30's was allegedly the world highest paid Organist,
earning an estimated £100,000 per year. The picture right is a view
looking down on the Solo Pipework. In August 1996, Manchester opened a
new International Concert Hall, called the "Bridgewater Hall", Named
after the Duke of Bridgewater who build the Canal system around Manchester. As
a result the Free Trade Hall was closed, and as the new Concert Hall was built
with a Marcussen Concert Organ the Wurlitzer was again looking for a new home.
After several months of negotiations with Manchester City and various local
authorities a new home was found in the Great Hall of the Magnificent Stockport
Town Hall, a listed heritage establishment built in 1908. So almost 20 years on
"The Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust" started again to remove its
Publix One yet again. 
It was decided to completely restore and rebuild
the organ as near to its original condition as possible, hence negotiations
were made for a grant from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. This grant
has enabled one of the largest Theatre Organ restoration projects in Europe to
be undertaken. The Trust are extremely grateful to the Foundation for their
generous help and their continued enthusiasm for this project. 
The Trust are also pleased that through co-operation with
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council a Grant has been obtained from the
United Kingdom National Lottery. This Grant has funded the building work and
reinstallation of the Publix One in the Town Hall.
The Great Hall or Ballroom at Stockport Town Hall is already used for
Ballroom dancing The photograph shows the Ballroom with console in
position for dancing, view looking from the Chambers at the back of the hall
towards the Stage. The console being positioned just to the left of
centre on a lift in front of the stage. Space is very tight in the Great Hall,
the Chambers took many hours of drawing work to ensure that the pipework would
fit into the curved roof area - the chambers being built into the rear balcony
arch. The final volume of the Chambers being similar to the original Paramount
Chambers and Crawfords Specification of Publix One Chambers. The Console to
Chamber cables being routed through the 1908 Plenum heating ducts (the only way
from the front to the back of the Hall). A nice job for a cold winters day!.
It is quite fitting that this Superb
example of a Wurlitzer Theatre Organ is being installed in Cheshire and when
installed will be the only Theatre Organ in a public building in the county of
Cheshire. Fitting, because of course Cheshire is the birthplace of Robert
Hope-Jones, Telephone engineer, inventor and organ builder. Hope-Jones is
credited as being the father of Theatre Organs, his many patents taken out at
the British and later the US Patent office were the foundation of the design of
the Theatre Organ as we know it, and certainly the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.
Hope-Jones' first organ was a rebuild of the Jackson organ in St. Johns Church,
Birkenhead, Cheshire. This organ was used as a basis for experiment and had
experimental Diaphones fitted. These diaphones were found still in the organ
but not connected just prior to the church being knocked down. These diaphones
were destroyed, that is all except one pipe - 'G' - that had been removed to be
photographed, in the fire that claimed the console of the Granada Manchester
Wurlitzer. The Diaphones were the first ever made by Robert Hope-Jones. The
tuning slide has pencil writing by RH-J and the top of the boot carries his
initials. Many of the original pipes from this organ are in the collection of
the Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust. The angel blowing a trumpet to the
right is one of a pair off the top of the organ case this is now
situated at the rear of the Stockport Chambers. The diaphone itself now forms
part of the worlds first Hope-Jones Museum at our Heritage Centre in Peel
Green, Eccles.
Back row, left to right:-Jim Dixon, Chris Booth, Brian Marshall, Gordon Cooper, Austin Stigwood,Ray Caswell & Graham Lancake.
Front row, left to right:-Frank Read, Don Hyde, Eric Halsall (head of Tech Team), Robert Rowley & George Haymes.
Eric Halsall, Head of Technical Team "Sees the Light".
(Left) Nigel Ogden presenter of the BBC Radio 2 programme "The Organist Entertains" with Tony Fenelon on the console and (Right) Tony Fenelon Premier Organist of Australia, at the Stockport Opening.
A view of the console stop sweep as the Organist sees it.
The console on its lift in the ballroom of the Town Hall with its complement of 233 new electric stop tabs.
The Console stands on a special console trolley, made to our design. The trolley sits on the top of the lift platform and has hydraulically operated wheels to enable the console to be lifted and rolled off the lift on to the stage or the ballroom floor to operate remotely when required.
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