Troxy Wurlitzer – original

One of the key attractions of the Troxy when it opened on 11th September 1933 was the three-manual Wurlitzer pipe organ, played by Bobby Pagan.Original Troxy Console

Opus number 2184 was shipped from the Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda NY on the 26th June 1933 and was designated a Style 220sp with the following 10 ranks:~

This specification represented something of a departure for Wurlitzers of this size as, along with theĀ 1930 Dominion Walthamstow organ, it had a bright specification reflecting the needs of the UK cinema market for instruments with the presence needed for intermission music.

The organ was installed in two chambers to the left of the stage, the Solo over the Main. The console was placed on a lift in the left-hand corner of the orchestra pit, with a motorised sliding cover.

No authenticated recordings are known of the Troxy organ and although small for the size of the building, it has been said to benefit from the acoustics of the large auditorium.

The organ was removed around 1960 on the closure of the building as a cinema and split up for parts. Notable survivors are the console, which now controls the Wurlitzer in the Worthing Assembly Hall and some of the reed pipework now playing in the enlarged ex-Gaumont Bradford organ at Howden-le-Wear.