• Background
  
• Constant Use
  
• Organ Specification
  
• Concerts/Recitals
  
• Acknowledgements
  

Background
In addition to the already well documented use of the Wurlitzer organ as part of the regular theatre and cinema programmes, the magnificence of the auditorium setting for this instrument attracted the attention of theatre pipe organ enthusiasts and professionals from far afield.

The Theatre Organ Club (TOC) had its first meeting after the second World War at the New Victoria Theatre and along with the Cinema Organ Society (COS) continued to hold meetings on Sundays each year when a variety of organists would play.

It has been said that the Cinema Organ Society possibly pioneered the idea of the "public" theatre organ concert in a working cinema with well attended concerts similar to the examples detailed later.

Constant Use
The history of the Bradford New Victoria/Gaumont Wurlitzer and its succession of resident and guest organists is proof that the instrument has been in more or less constant use since its installation on 6th June 1930 at a cost of around 15,000 GBP ready for the opening performance on 22nd September of that year. In 1967 (a year before the cinema closure for twinning) the organ was still being used nearly every day for opening the show and for regular interludes.

Organ Specification
The Cinema Organ Society N.E District documented the specification of the organ in their programme for its January 1967 concert as follows . . .

The organ was maintained in perfect condition by COS members David Lowe and Allan Foster - nowadays in 2004 they are both involved with the Ritz Wurlitzer a few miles away in Brighouse. The Bradford Gaumont instrument featured a 3-manual console with 106 stop-keys, 25 thumb pistons and 9 toe pistons. The organ had 10 extended ranks of pipes divided in two chambers.

COS Concerts/Recitals
Below are details of just two of the Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Organ concert/recital performances organised by the Cinema Organ Society at Bradford's Gaumont Theatre which illustrate the imagination and great enthusiasm together with much cooperation from Peter Davies the enterprising manager of the theatre.

Sunday 8th January 1967 at 12 noon.
The COS present a Concert of Light and Popular Music
The three hour programme included . . .
1. David Lowe - resident organist at Gaumont.
2. Frank Steel - deputy organist at Gaumont.
3. David Lowe with Peter Davis at the Grand Pianoforte.
4. Norman Briggs LRAM - City Organist of Bradford and a former resident organist when it was the New Victoria Theatre.
5. David Lowe on his Lowrey Lincolnwood Organ and his Trio and Frank Steele at the Grand Pianoforte with Jeff Stockdale(baritone) and Jack Green(drums).
Intermission
6. Arnold Loxham - former resident organist of the theatre and now (in 1967) at the Odeon in Leeds.

Admission was free with proceeds from the sale of souvenir programmes going to charity.

Later in the year another equally rich and varied concert . . .

Sunday 24th September 1967 at 1.30pm
Programme
1. David Lowe - resident organist at Gaumont.
2. Norman Briggs LRAM - City Organist of Bradford.
Intermission
3. Arnold Loxam - resident organist at Odeon, Leeds.
4. George Blackmore FRCO, FIAL - this country's ace organist and broadcaster and is second to none in this field.

During the programme Lawrence Whitfield, Secretary of the COS Northern District, presented an LP record to Allan Foster as a token of the Society's gratitude to him for spending so much of his spare time maintaining and repairing theatre organs throughout the Northern District including the Gaumont Wurlitzer. Allan is still active in 2004 maintaining the Ritz Ballroom Wurlitzer in Brighouse where COS concerts continue to be held each month.

Acknowledgements
David Lowe and the Cinema Organ Society for the organ specification and concert programme information. The Cinema Organ Society Northern District has its own regional website at www.cosnorth.co.uk or the COS national website at www.cinema-organs.org.uk for present day information on the organ scene.

If you want information on other organs (pipe, electronic, reed and mechanical) installed in the old cinemas of Bradford & Shipley during the early part of last century then click here for an index to a sub-set of pages from this website devoted to the history of the cinemas and their organs.