Historic pipe organ leaves Shrewsbury venue for last time after 34 years
An historic pipe organ has been removed from its Shropshire nightclub home and out of the county in one last 'wurl' of effort and glory.
The 1930s Wurlitzer, which has been a feature at the Buttermarket in Shrewsbury since 1988, has moved to a new home to make way for changes at the Howard Street venue.
On Tuesday a squad from the Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust shifted the mighty Wurlitzer from its home of 24 years to a new, hopefully temporary home in Suffolk.
A spokesman for the Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust said: "On Tuesday we spent the day removing our Wurlitzer console and its surround from the Buttermarket. The venue's stage is being enlarged to make improvements to the nightclub so there was no choice but for the team to move it out.
"It was a long day for all involved with an early start, and some committee members not getting home until past 1am on Wednesday morning.
"After removing the console from the door that so many of our patrons attended concerts through, the console, surround, and platform was loaded onto a van and transported down to Jonny Ling’s The Grange Musical Collection in Palgrave, Suffolk. Jonny is providing long-term storage for the trust, with the console on display in his collection for all to enjoy."
The trust's secretary Edd Hordley said: "Yesterday was an incredibly difficult day for the Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust as we saw the safe removal of our Wurlitzer console from The Buttermarket, where it's been housed since 1988. Described by our president, Phil Kelsall MBE as 'one of the best transplant installations in the country', Shropshire's only theatre organ in a public venue has entertained thousands of people over the years and has been played for many events ranging from concerts to weddings, dances to birthday parties.
"The Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust is dedicated to preserving our piece of musical heritage and is on the lookout for suitable venues to accommodate such an instrument. In the meantime, the Wurlitzer will be kept at the Grange Musical Collection in Suffolk, whose proprietor, Mr Jonny Ling has arranged long-term storage. The trust is indebted to Mr Ling for his kindness and assistance during this time.
"If anybody would like to assist with finding our Wurlitzer organ a new home, they should contact me, trust secretary at edd.hordley@gmail.com."
The trust has thanked the owners of the Buttermarket for housing the organ for so long and it is planning further events around Shropshire in the near future, until a time a suitable home can be found which can accommodate the 1936 Opus 2204 Wurlitzer.
It was originally installed in The Ritz Cinema in Chatham, Kent.
In 2000, two additional ranks of pipes were added at The Buttermarket, Kinura and English Horn.
The Shropshire Theatre Organ Trust currently puts on other electronic concerts/dances around the county, until the Wurlitzer can play in public again.
The Wurlitzer has a unique sound and even though the organ originally came from the USA, the technology was invented in the UK and it is believed to be Shropshire’s only permanent theatre pipe organ in a public venue.
The Wurlitzer's final concert at the Buttermarket was held on Sunday, September 18.
The owner of Shrewsbury’s Buttermarket Martin Monahan told the Shropshire Star recently that the venue has had to adapt and become ‘more than a nightclub’ to ride the storm that has hit the night time economy.
He has invested around £500,000 into the Buttermarket, which he says is booked up for events from September for over a year.
The three-storey club hosts regular events on the top floor from boxing matches to themed nights whilst still maintaining the nightclub element in the cellar bar.
An expansion of the stage and other changes as part of a £500,000 investment in the venue by owner mean that the mighty Wurlizer is having to be moved out.
The Wurlizter has a unique sound and even though this organ originally came from the States, the technology was invented in the UK.
It started out at the 2,332-seat The Ritz Cinema, Chatham, and was ordered from the Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda, America, on November 23, 1936. It was shipped to the UK on December 12 of the same year.
Prior to the Ritz Cinema going over to bingo, the organ was purchased and removed by organ builder David Pawlyn in 1971 and stored in his workshops at Aylesbury. David Pawlyn later installed the organ at The Buttermarket, Shrewsbury, in 1988.
For more information on the final concert and the trust visit facebook.com/684823258201127/posts/6086626101354122.
