Historic Wurlitzer Cinema Organ Arrives at The Broadway in Prestwick

The Broadway Cinema in Prestwick has taken another significant step towards its restoration with the arrival of an original Wurlitzer cinema organ, donated by a private collector and set to be installed once work on the building is complete.

When the project is finished, The Broadway will become the only cinema in Scotland to house a fully operational cinema organ.

The instrument has a rich history of its own. It was originally installed at the Ritz Cinema in Luton, formerly known as the Union Cinema, which opened on 11 October 1937. Built as a three-manual, eight-rank organ, it features the distinctive illuminated “pillar and vase” surround that became synonymous with the golden age of cinema organs. The instrument was first played by H. Robinson Cleaver at the opening of the Union Cinema.

Its installation in Prestwick will mark the first new cinema organ installation in Scotland since the 1930s, when such instruments were a regular feature of major picture houses.

Cinema organs were originally developed to accompany silent films, providing live music, sound effects and dramatic flourishes before the arrival of synchronised soundtracks. Installed in cinemas across Britain between the mid-1920s and late 1930s, they were designed to replicate the sound of a full orchestra and were often described as one-person orchestras.

Only a small number of these instruments remain in operation today. Wurlitzer organs were built in North Tonawanda in New York State and shipped across the Atlantic to Europe for installation in cinemas and theatres.

The only other operational Wurlitzer in Scotland is located at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall in Glasgow, where it is regularly used for live performances including silent film screenings, tea dances and seasonal concerts.

Guy Walker, chair of Friends of the Broadway Prestwick, said the donation demonstrated how far the project’s reputation has spread.

“The Broadway project is inspiring people from far and wide, as this amazing donation shows,” he said. “We now join venues such as the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, the Troxy Theatre in London and even the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in having our own mighty Wurlitzer. It is something that really has to be heard to be believed.”

The organ has been delivered safely to the building and will be on display during upcoming openings of the Broadway Cinema Experience.

The restoration project has already turned the venue into one of Ayrshire’s newest visitor attractions. The original auditorium has been opened to the public for the first time in around 50 years, while the Broadway Pop-up Museum offers visitors an immersive look at the golden age of cinema and the history of the Prestwick landmark.

The cinema also recently featured in the second series of the BBC programme Repair Shop on the Road, which documented the restoration of the venue’s carbon arc film projectors. The episode is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.