In March 1933 when Sidney Bernstein announced that he was to start a circuit of twelve theatres in provincial towns.  The first of these Theatres to be built was the Granada Theatre Maidstone and opened in January 1934.

The importance of this theatre lies in that it was the template for what came to be known as the standard Granada.  Theodore Komisarjevsky decorated the interior of the theatre in Italian Renaissance style, which he had used earlier at the Phoenix Theatre and which was to be duplicated to a greater or lesser extent in other Theatres of the Circuit.  The advantage of using a template (with some variation) allowed costs to be reduced and for the Circuit to further project the Granada image. 

The Theatre was installed with a Christie Theatre Organ designed by Harold Ramsay.  The organ had 3 Manuals and 8 Ranks together with a French-style console and was played by organist Alex Taylor at the opening.

The Christie Theatre Organ at the Granada Theatre Maidstone  with Douglas Sharp at the console.

This photograph was taken by J.D. Sharp and appears at the Kelvin Grove State High School page of the Encyclopaedia of Australian Theatre Organs

The organ was played by a variety of touring organists for one to two weeks and then moved to another theatre.  Donald Thorne was the organist who remained here for the longest consecutive period of time.

Donald Thorne at the Wurlitzer Organ of the Granada Theatre Tooting

This photograph appears with the permission of Mr. Wayne Ivany

Both Robinson and Molly Cleaver, as well as Reginald Dixon, Dudley Beaven, Harold Ramsay et al and listed by The Encyclopaedia of Australian Theatre Organs (Queensland Contents).

Seemingly the last time it was played on a regular basis was in the early 1950s. From then on, it was heard at Saturday Morning Children’s Matinees and on rare occasions.  According to The Encyclopaedia of Australian Theatre Organs, despite their lack of use, all organs of the The Granada Theatre Circuit continued to be tuned every two months.

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In September 1968, the Granada Theatre Maidstone was flooded as a result of severe rain resulting in the complete destruction of the console.  Since the pipe chambers were positioned high up in the side walls, they were fortunately untouched by the water.

In 1968,  The Organ Society of Australia (Queensland) began looking to purchase its own theatre pipe organ   and since no suitable organ could be found in Australia, the society went further afield and found the remains of the Christie at Maidstone, which they bought and had shipped to Brisbane.  The pipe chambers arrived in January 1971 and were installed in the new Assembly Hall at the Kelvin Grove State High School once it was constructed.  A console was found in Sydney, which had once been installed at the Empire Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand and later at a private home.  After the necessary rebuilding, restoration and reinstallation, the official inauguration of the organ took place on the 24th November, 1975 following 10,000 man-hours of work!

Since its installation at the School, it has been played by a number of organists both from Australia and elsewhere and has been featured in a number of recordings.

Click here to hear the organ being played by Lance Hutchinson

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THE PLANS OF THE CHRISTIE THEATRE ORGAN OF

THE GRANADA THEATRE MAIDSTONE 

Graciously provided by Ian McIver