The OLDEST Wurlitzer Theatre Organ in UK!
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Congregational Church - Fore Street - Beer - East Devon - UK
Thursday 7th February 2008 proved to be a very important date for me, as it was on that day I first saw and played the Wurlitzer organ which is installed in the Congregational Church, Beer, Devon. UK.
I had formerly been aware of the existence of “an old Wurlitzer in a fishermen’s chapel somewhere in Beer”, since the early 1980’s as a musical acquaintance of mine at the time used to play it regularly when staying at his family’s nearby chalet.
I was able to contact the Church Secretary, now known to me as Cyn, through the Church website after finding it on the internet. She kindly agreed to let me see and try the organ, which I and many others at that time believed to be unplayable, after we had exchanged a few e-mails.
By complete coincidence two groups of organ enthusiasts had also approached Cyn around the same time, both wanting to bring their own members along to listen to this “unplayable” organ which just happens to be the OLDEST Wurlitzer Theatre Organ in the UK!
I already knew that the organ needed a lot of maintenance and restoration work carrying out, but quickly realised that there could be much potential for it to earn its own keep.
After some discussion between Cyn and myself we decided to explore the feasibility of raising the public profile of the instrument somewhat, and also whether fundraising might help to restore the instrument to its former glory.
Full restoration will cost a lot of money, which we don't have at the moment, so we are trying to raise the necessary funds in various ways including arranging concerts by professional organists. There are also DVD's and postcards available for purchase.
We held a most successful fundraising day on Saturday 7th June 2008, which I was glad to be able to support by performing a series of well attended concerts on the organ during the day
The organ was in a wonderful frame of mind for the concerts. It was almost as though the beast had been awoken from slumber by being called on to fulfill its original function. Perhaps part of the problem is its lack of being played in theatre style regularly? Who knows? I have only received positive feedback so far with no criticisms, which is encouraging and is also good for my aging ego!
Many members of theatre organ clubs and groups were most helpful with coverage. We really appreciate that, and thank everyone concerned.
Representatives from Reading, Rye and Christchurch came along, so I hope there will be some positive feedback from them which will permeate throughout the organ world. My performance is not the issue: it is the organ itself which is what we am trying to promote.
We are now keen on the idea of setting up FOB (Friends of Beerwurly) similar to that which has already been done by Friends of Rye Wurlitzer, which by coincidence supports exactly the same model of organ.
These are still early days and there is also much more to be done, so we are naturally very keen to hear any suggestions on how to proceed.
We would be glad to hear from anyone who is interested in joining FOB, or would like to help or advise in any other way.
Please contact either Cynthia (Church Secretary) on (+44)01297 21824, or myself (Michael Cull) on (+44)01823 461094.
Your help and support will be invaluable and will also be greatly appreciated. In the meantime we will be "earbashing" influential members of the local community and local media.
On Sunday 13th July 2008 Pippa Quelch from BBC Radio Devon broadcast an interview with the Church Secretary and myself, plus of course the organ!
For anyone who missed the programme, a recording of the interview can be downloaded and saved HERE, but do use the FREE option otherwise you will have to pay!
What, if anything, happens to the organ in the future really depends on all of us.
I know what I would like to see happening!
Thanks for visiting our website.
Cheers!
Michael Cull.
www.organshow.co.uk
DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
Saturday 18th October 2008
The collective talents of Jean Martyn, Elizabeth Harrison,
Chris Powell,
Ian Griffin and Richard Bower (Keyklix) will be featured in this afternoon
concert on the
BeerWurly at 3.00pm, Saturday 18th October 2008.
Refreshments will be served after the concert, which will give the audience an
opportunity to meet the performers.
PLEASE NOTE: Admission tickets at £5 each will be strictly limited to 200,
so there is no guarantee that seats will be available on the day without one.
Please Contact Us for ticket requests.
All proceeds will be going to the organ restoration fund.
Sunday 26th October 2008
Matthew Bason will be performing a concert on the BeerWurly at 2.00pm,
Sunday 26th October 2008.
Admission to the concert only will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door
if space permits), with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Matthew has also kindly agreed to play for the "Harvest of the Sea" service
which follows in the evening on that day.
This is an annual event which always packs the Church
to capacity as it is held for all the fishermen in the immediate vicinity.
More details about the "Harvest of the Sea" service will appear on The Church Website.
Saturday 15th November 2008
Trevor Bolshaw, who lives nearby, will be performing this concert in his own
inimitable style on the BeerWurly at 2.30pm, Saturday 15th November 2008.
This is an event not to be missed, as Trevor is probably the only person alive
(age 104 as he tells me!) who has known and played our Wurlitzer in each of its
three locations since it first arrived in UK, so watch out for all the anecdotes!
Admission to the concert will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door if space
permits), with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Friday 19th December 2008
Richard Monks will be performing a Christmas concert on the BeerWurly at 7.00pm,
Friday 19th December 2008.
Admission to the concert will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door if space permits),
with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Tea/coffee and mince pies will be served during the interval.
Richard will provide a welcome break from all THAT pre-Christmas stress!
Ticket hotline for all concerts is 01297 21824.
HOW TO FIND US
Here's a Map!
As you drive through the village towards the sea, you will pass the Congregational Church to your right.
Take the next turning on the right, and the large Central Car Park will be found to your left behind the Dolphin Hotel.
We hope to see you soon!
Why not link to us? Just click the banner and then paste the script into your own HTML.
Powered by WebRing.
KEYBOARDNEWS.COM
The Internet magazine for keyboard and organ players and enthusiasts.
Partenaires : www.lyad.com - immobilier
| Home | Organ Details | Organ Videos | Video Viewing Information | Contact |
I was able to contact the Church Secretary, now known to me as Cyn, through the Church website after finding it on the internet. She kindly agreed to let me see and try the organ, which I and many others at that time believed to be unplayable, after we had exchanged a few e-mails.
After some discussion between Cyn and myself we decided to explore the feasibility of raising the public profile of the instrument somewhat, and also whether fundraising might help to restore the instrument to its former glory.
We held a most successful fundraising day on Saturday 7th June 2008, which I was glad to be able to support by performing a series of well attended concerts on the organ during the day
The organ was in a wonderful frame of mind for the concerts. It was almost as though the beast had been awoken from slumber by being called on to fulfill its original function. Perhaps part of the problem is its lack of being played in theatre style regularly? Who knows? I have only received positive feedback so far with no criticisms, which is encouraging and is also good for my aging ego!
Many members of theatre organ clubs and groups were most helpful with coverage. We really appreciate that, and thank everyone concerned.
Representatives from Reading, Rye and Christchurch came along, so I hope there will be some positive feedback from them which will permeate throughout the organ world. My performance is not the issue: it is the organ itself which is what we am trying to promote.
We are now keen on the idea of setting up FOB (Friends of Beerwurly) similar to that which has already been done by Friends of Rye Wurlitzer, which by coincidence supports exactly the same model of organ.
These are still early days and there is also much more to be done, so we are naturally very keen to hear any suggestions on how to proceed.
We would be glad to hear from anyone who is interested in joining FOB, or would like to help or advise in any other way.
Please contact either Cynthia (Church Secretary) on (+44)01297 21824, or myself (Michael Cull) on (+44)01823 461094.
Your help and support will be invaluable and will also be greatly appreciated. In the meantime we will be "earbashing" influential members of the local community and local media.
Congregational Church - Fore Street - Beer - East Devon - UK
Thursday 7th February 2008 proved to be a very important date for me, as it was on that day I first saw and played the Wurlitzer organ which is installed in the Congregational Church, Beer, Devon. UK.
I had formerly been aware of the existence of “an old Wurlitzer in a fishermen’s chapel somewhere in Beer”, since the early 1980’s as a musical acquaintance of mine at the time used to play it regularly when staying at his family’s nearby chalet.
By complete coincidence two groups of organ enthusiasts had also approached Cyn around the same time, both wanting to bring their own members along to listen to this “unplayable” organ which just happens to be the OLDEST Wurlitzer Theatre Organ in the UK!
I already knew that the organ needed a lot of maintenance and restoration work carrying out, but quickly realised that there could be much potential for it to earn its own keep.
Full restoration will cost a lot of money, which we don't have at the moment, so we are trying to raise the necessary funds in various ways including arranging concerts by professional organists. There are also DVD's and postcards available for purchase.
On Sunday 13th July 2008 Pippa Quelch from BBC Radio Devon broadcast an interview with the Church Secretary and myself, plus of course the organ!
For anyone who missed the programme, a recording of the interview can be downloaded and saved HERE, but do use the FREE option otherwise you will have to pay!
What, if anything, happens to the organ in the future really depends on all of us.
I know what I would like to see happening!
Thanks for visiting our website.
Cheers!
Michael Cull.
www.organshow.co.uk
DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
Saturday 18th October 2008
The collective talents of Jean Martyn, Elizabeth Harrison,
Chris Powell,
Ian Griffin and Richard Bower (Keyklix) will be featured in this afternoon
concert on the
BeerWurly at 3.00pm, Saturday 18th October 2008.
Refreshments will be served after the concert, which will give the audience an
opportunity to meet the performers.
PLEASE NOTE: Admission tickets at £5 each will be strictly limited to 200,
so there is no guarantee that seats will be available on the day without one.
Please Contact Us for ticket requests.
All proceeds will be going to the organ restoration fund.
Sunday 26th October 2008
Matthew Bason will be performing a concert on the BeerWurly at 2.00pm,
Sunday 26th October 2008.
Admission to the concert only will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door
if space permits), with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Matthew has also kindly agreed to play for the "Harvest of the Sea" service
which follows in the evening on that day.
This is an annual event which always packs the Church
to capacity as it is held for all the fishermen in the immediate vicinity.
More details about the "Harvest of the Sea" service will appear on The Church Website.
Saturday 15th November 2008
Trevor Bolshaw, who lives nearby, will be performing this concert in his own
inimitable style on the BeerWurly at 2.30pm, Saturday 15th November 2008.
This is an event not to be missed, as Trevor is probably the only person alive
(age 104 as he tells me!) who has known and played our Wurlitzer in each of its
three locations since it first arrived in UK, so watch out for all the anecdotes!
Admission to the concert will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door if space
permits), with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Friday 19th December 2008
Richard Monks will be performing a Christmas concert on the BeerWurly at 7.00pm,
Friday 19th December 2008.
Admission to the concert will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door if space permits),
with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Tea/coffee and mince pies will be served during the interval.
Richard will provide a welcome break from all THAT pre-Christmas stress!
Ticket hotline for all concerts is 01297 21824.
HOW TO FIND US
Here's a Map!
As you drive through the village towards the sea, you will pass the Congregational Church to your right.
Take the next turning on the right, and the large Central Car Park will be found to your left behind the Dolphin Hotel.
We hope to see you soon!
Why not link to us? Just click the banner and then paste the script into your own HTML.
Powered by WebRing.
KEYBOARDNEWS.COM
The Internet magazine for keyboard and organ players and enthusiasts.
Partenaires : www.lyad.com - immobilier
Trevor Bolshaw, who lives nearby, will be performing this concert in his own
inimitable style on the BeerWurly at 2.30pm, Saturday 15th November 2008.
This is an event not to be missed, as Trevor is probably the only person alive
(age 104 as he tells me!) who has known and played our Wurlitzer in each of its
three locations since it first arrived in UK, so watch out for all the anecdotes!
Admission to the concert will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door if space
permits), with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Friday 19th December 2008
Richard Monks will be performing a Christmas concert on the BeerWurly at 7.00pm,
Friday 19th December 2008.
Admission to the concert will be £5 by pre-booked ticket (or on the door if space permits),
with all proceeds going to the organ restoration fund.
Tea/coffee and mince pies will be served during the interval.
Richard will provide a welcome break from all THAT pre-Christmas stress!
Ticket hotline for all concerts is 01297 21824.
HOW TO FIND US
Here's a Map!
As you drive through the village towards the sea, you will pass the Congregational Church to your right.
Take the next turning on the right, and the large Central Car Park will be found to your left behind the Dolphin Hotel.
We hope to see you soon!
Why not link to us? Just click the banner and then paste the script into your own HTML.
HOW TO FIND US
Here's a Map!
Why not link to us? Just click the banner and then paste the script into your own HTML.
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