29th September

ORGAN CHAMBER CONSTRUCTION (12th week)

Back of lower Main chamber grille before cleaning to remove seventy-eight years of accumulated dirt.

Back of upper Main chamber grille after cleaning.

The swell shutters will be fixed to the black frame.

Main chambers viewed from the stalls prior to fitting
of the swell shutters.

21st September

ORGAN CHAMBER CONSTRUCTION (11th week)

Refurbished Main organ blower room with blower
ready for assembly after a thorough cleaning!

The upper Main chamber can be seen through
the open door.

The refurbished upper Main chamber with newly re-finished hard wood floor.

The swell shutters will be fixed to the black frame on the left of the picture

Refurbished lower Main chamber with the floor being re-finshed.

25th August

ORGAN CHAMBER CONSTRUCTION (7th week)

Project Leader John Abson standing next to the completed swell shutter opening of the new Solo chamber. The opening is approximately 16ft by 9ft and required the careful removal of a double thickness of bricks. The grey blanket is in position to stop the ingress of dust into the auditorium.

Newly plastered, the reinstated wall and ceiling of the lower Main chamber with the swell shutter opening on the right.

Newly plastered, a new wall and the ceiling of the upper Main chamber with the swell shutter opening on the left. The wall improves the shape of the chamber and forms a store room, accessed via the doorway centre right.

18th August

ORGAN CHAMBER CONSTRUCTION (6th week)

The reinstated wall for the lower Main chamber, with doorway to the lower chamber on the right.

Note the rectagular openings to allow the windfeed from the blower room above to enter both chambers.

Lower Main chamber swell shutter opening.
The grey blanket is in position to stop the ingress of dust into the auditorium.

Upper Main chamber swell shutter opening

New opening that will provide
access to the Solo chamber

Scaffolding in situ ready to cut the opening for the
swell shutters in the Solo chamber

27th July

ORGAN CHAMBER CONSTRUCTION (3rd week)

Work at the Troxy continues at a steady pace. The reinstatement of the wall of the Lower Main chamber, removed many years ago, is almost complete (see photo), together with new walls to improve the shape and size of both the upper and lower Main chambers and thus optimise sound egress.

The lower main chamber removed wall being reconstructed

New lower Main chamber side wall, shutter opening to be unblocked on the left

On the Solo side, work is underway to block up windows and vents in the outside wall of the theatre. In addition, the new doorway to the Percussion chamber from the Solo blower room has been created and the floor of the chamber started (see photo). Behind the scenes, the design of the steelwork needed to support concrete floors, that have to be cut through to form the new access to the Solo chamber, has been finalised.

Solo chamber window partly filled
in with concrete blocks

New doorway to Percussion chamber

Next steps include completing the sealing of openings in the exterior walls of the theatre from the outside. These are the black square holes in the picture shown of the Main chamber side of the building, showing the scaffolding needed partially erected.

11th July 2011

ORGAN CHAMBER CONSTRUCTION BEGINS AT THE TROXY

Monday 11th July represented a very significant change in tempo for the Trocadero to Troxy project and also a major step forward. This day marked the start of work by our contracted builder to reinstate the two original organ chambers at the Troxy on the left of the proscenium arch, which will house the Main organ, and in the same position on the right to construct a new large chamber to house the Solo organ together with a small Percussion chamber. The amount of work needed to achieve all of this is significant.

Our Trustees felt that fundraising had been sufficiently successful that this key piece of enabling work should proceed now, as there is an opportunity to complete the work during the quiet summer period at the Troxy. The work is planned to take 11 weeks of continuous activity.

The reinstatement includes the replacement of the internal end wall of the Lower Main chamber, the removal of the brickwork sealing the original shutter openings, and the provision of two new internal partition walls to reduce the size of the existing chambers to optimise sound egress. On the Solo side, as well as the removal of a steel staircase, a large aperture about 14 feet high by 9 feet wide will be opened in the wall to provide a new shutter opening into the auditorium behind the existing grille, this opening then has to be supported with a steel infrastructure. In addition to all of this is a plethora of repairs, re-plastering, blocking up of miscellaneous openings, redecoration and so on, all part of the contract.

When the work is complete it will be possible to finalise plans for both the electrical supply to the organ and its installation. Installation will begin once restoration of the organ, which is also starting to take place, has reached a suitable stage and, importantly, after further funding has been raised.

Watch this website for more news and pictures as work progresses.

The Trocadero to Troxy Project - is bringing the Trocadero Wurlitzer to the Troxy!