Astoria-Odeon Cinema
Opened: 20th April 1935 by: Leslie Holman
Manufacturer: Compton (A255)
Size: 3c Manuals, 6 Ranks
Ranks: Tuba, Diapason, Tibia, Viole, Flute, Vox Humana
History
1935: The Astoria Cinema opened on 20th April 1935 with Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers in “The Gay Divorce”.
1937: Re-named Odeon.
1974: On 26th January the cinema was closed and shortly after was demolished. The organ was bought for £850 by a Mr Wicks who lived in Suffolk.
1983: The organ was bought by Arie Vonk for installation in Pernis a suburb of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
1986: On December 27th the organ was opened in Pernis by Len Rawle.
Current: The organ is in storage awaiting a new home.
Personalities
Leslie Holman – Opening – December 1935
John E Francis – December 1935 – January 1936
Frank Tapp – January 1936 – April 1936
Albert Payne – April 1936 – November 1936
Andrew Fenner – November 1936 – March 1937
Jack Courtnay – March 1937 – May 1937
James Peters – May 1937 – June 1937
Henry Windfield – June 1937 – September 1937
Reginald Stone – September 1937 – September 1938
Verden Waugh – September 1938 – November 1939
Gallery
Organ
Cinema & Demolition
Exterior Exterior Foyer Interior Interior with Organ Exterior Exterior Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition Demolition
Technical
The Astoria/Odeon organ was a very typical small Compton of its time. The top manual was a coupler manual, thats to say it didn’t have any pipe stops specific to that manual, but a series of couplers to transfer the sound from the other two manuals up to the top one at various pitches.
The organ was installed in two chambers, one on top of the other, on the right hand side of the auditorium.