In 1934, five Conacher Theatre Organs were produced and installed at the:

• Regal Cinema Margate:  The Conacher Theatre Organ of the Regal Cinema Margate was a 4-manuals/12-ranks plus a Steinway Grand Piano instrument and was opened by Reginald Foort.  Tragically the cinema was severely damaged in an air raid in September 1941 and the Theatre Organ was destroyed.  Neither the cinema nor the Organ were rebuilt.

• Regal/Odeon Theatre Southampton: The Conacher Theatre Organ of the Regal/Odeon Theatre Southampton was a 4-manuals/13-ranks plus a Steinway Grand Piano instrument and was also opened by Reginald Foort.  In 1962, the cinema underwent modernisation and the Organ was removed and broken up.

• Regal/Odeon/Scala Cinema Rotherham: The Conacher Theatre Organ of the Regal/Odeon/Scala Cinema Rotherham was a 3-manuals/9-ranks plus a Steinway Grand Piano instrument and was opened by the organist, Thomas Dando.

Thomas Dando at a Compton Theatre Organ

The cinema was re-named Odeon in 1946 when it was leased to the Rank Organisation.  However, the cinema was sold in 1975 and re-named Scala.  It eventually closed as a cinema in 1983 and re-opened as a Mecca Bingo Club.

Contributed by Mr. David Ivory

The Theatre Organ was removed from the cinema in 1993 by Audley Minor Pipe Organ Builders and was re-installed in a private home at Alsager in Cheshire.  Sadly, I note that the Organ, as of May 2014, was for sale on Ebay.

The Ex-Regal/Odeon Rotherham Conacher Theatre Organ

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I received recently the following comment from Mr. David Lowe regarding the former Conacher Theatre Organ of the Regal/Odeon/Scala Cinema Rotherham:

David Lowe seated at The Regal/Odeon Rotherham Conacher Theatre Organ

Currently The Rotherham Conacher Theatre Organ is installed at Audley, near Stoke on Trent, but is for sale.  However, there have been no takers as far as I know.

I was involved with the Organ from about 1974, taking part in concerts, and then playing regular organ interludes from 1977.

The driving force behind saving and restoring the Organ was actually the Chief Projectionist, George Emblow, whose brother Jack was the well-known radio broadcasting accordionist.  When the orchestra pit was boarded over in 1954 prior to restoration, it was George who persuaded the regional engineer to provide trap doors so the Console could rise once again out of the pit when it had been made playable.  The engineer was ‘persuaded’ by being given the klaxon from the Organ’s toy counter!

The Organ was played for organ interludes and pre-show music from 1970 by a number of organists both professional and otherwise – apart from myself these included Charles Randolph and Geoff Stephenson (who also broadcast it I think), Edward Dent and John Longley.  I recorded the Organ for the Cinema Organ Society (COS 104)  and also broadcast it in 1984 (after the cinema’s closure in September 1983).

The cinema re-opened for Bingo shortly after my recording sessions and the Organ console was placed in the balcony, but not re-connected so the it became unplayable.  The Organ was eventually removed in 1993 by Audley Minor Organ Builders and re-installed in Audley.

David Lowe

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Mr. Lowe was the house organist at the Bradford Gaumont Cinema between 1967 and 1970 and was the Custodian of the Trocadero Super Cinema Elephant & Castle for some years during its time of installation in Edric Hall, South Bank University.  This Organ originally had 4-manuals and 21-ranks, and Mr. Lowe saw it increase to 24-ranks.  He said that an extra-rank has been added during its installation at the Troxy Theatre and says that it sounds wonderful!!!