The Corstorphine Astoria Centre cinema organ is the only surviving Ingram cinema organ. It is owned by the Corstorphine Trust which has a long-term lease of the Corstorphine Astoria Centre: a community centre which is owned by Corstorphine Old Parish Church. It is in this centre that the organ now resides and is once again appreciated by its local community.
Ingram only built a small handful of cinema organs with this one being his smallest at 2 manuals with 4 ranks. Despite the organ being small at only 4 ranks, it packs a punch as it was originally designed for an auditorium which sat 1,369. The organ was built in 1929, in the Art Deco style, for the Astoria Cinema, which opened in 1930, and was situated on Manse Road, Corstorphine, now home to the frozen food shop Iceland. The instrument was of a high quality and regularly featured in live radio broadcasts with the resident organist Nora Milne performing for such several times a week. In its heyday the cinema was described as being one of Edinburgh’s most modern cinemas.
Sadly, the Astoria cinema closed in 1974 and was demolished in 1976 but thankfully the organ was taken out in 1973 by a group of organ enthusiasts who were keen to find a new venue for the instrument. A new venue was not found, and the organ was housed and displayed for many years in a commercial garage in Gilmore Place, Edinburgh, before moving to outbuildings in a farm owned by an Antiques dealer. The organ was rescued once again by an organ enthusiast who carried out repairs and restoration in the hope the organ would find a home in the St Albans Organ Museum. Unfortunately, the museum ran out of space and the organ ended up in storage in East Lothian where it remained for 30 years. In 2014 the organ was bought by the Corstorphine Trust, and the organ was restored and installed by Kevin Grunill in its current location. The specification has not been altered and as much of the original instrument as was serviceable and available was installed. Kevin Grunill and Decan Poole gave the opening concert in 2022. The Corstorphine Trust is keen for the organ to be used and has since had Donald MacKenzie accompany silent films as it was designed to do in 1929.
Ingram (Opus 1013)
Originally installed in the Astoria Cinema, Edinburgh in 1929 as a 2/4, now in the
Corstorphine Astoria Centre, 18 Kirk Loan, Edinburgh EH12 7HD.
Further information from https://www.corstorphineastoriacentre.co.uk/history-2-4-ingram-corstorphine-astoria-organ/