Mighty Wurlitzer to play its final tune at Shrewsbury nightclub after 34 years
A rare Mighty Wurlitzer organ will be playing its final notes at the Shrewsbury nightclub it has been a part of for the last 34 years.
Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust has told its supporters that the 1936 Mighty Wurlitzer is having to be moved out of the Buttermarket nightclub, in Howard Street, to make way for changes there.
A spokesman for the Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust said in a statement on its Facebook page that "After weeks of discussions, the Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust are sad to inform our loyal supporters and friends that our 1936 Wurlitzer Theatre organ will be removed from the Buttermarket Shrewsbury in due course."
The statement adds: "We understand that the building in which our organ is installed is subject to a volatile business environment which needs to remain agile to be successful. Unfortunately plans for the Buttermarket's future don't include the Wurlitzer organ, which has been housed there since 1988."
They add that "all alternative options have been explored before reaching this conclusion."
The trust adds that it thanks the owner of the Buttermarket, as well as staff members past and present for housing the Wurlitzer in their building for over 30 years, "and for allowing us to bring the sound of our special Mighty Wurlitzer to hundreds if not thousands of people over the years."
A farewell concert is in the offing before the organ is removed, details of which will be published when they are finalised. Shortly after the organ will be placed into safe storage until a time when it will play to the public once more.
Further details will be clarified and released to members following the trust's extraordinary general meeting on meeting on July 31.
