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Come to the Old Mill in the lovely Looe Valley, for an unforgettable nostalgic Musical Entertainment. Just off the B3254 at St. Keyne Station, Near Liskeard, Cornwall |
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MAGNIFICENT Music Machines recently described by Holiday Which? magazine as, "a delightfully eccentric museum created on the back of one man's passion for music boxes, Wurlitzers, and organs of yesteryear. Paul personally guides you around his collection, treating you to performances and dipping into his encyclopaedic knowledge." |
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The mechanical organs you will hear were built in Belgium in the early years of the 20th Century to provide music for cafes and dance halls. The magnificent 84 key Mortier Orchestrion c. 1928 and DeCap Jazz Organ c. 1938 were made in Antwerp and both have their music programmed on punched cardboard books. Playing from paper rolls is a delightful little Berlin street organ built in 1990 as a replica of a 45 key Trumpet organ of the 1920's |
| Mighty Wurlitzer is the name most commonly associated with the theatre organ, as they were the original and certainly the finest of such instruments. Over 2000 were built between 1910 and 1939, of which 99 were sold in Britain. Our Wurlitzer was shipped from the USA ,and opened at the Regent Cinema Brighton on July 1st 1929. It has 693 organ pipes, real percussion's such as xylophone, glockenspiel, drums, cymbals and sound effects for silent films. Paul will demonstrate all of these to you and the authentic sound of one of the few remaining completely original Wurlitzer organs. The Wurlitzer has been featured on BBC Radio 2 "The Organist Entertains" and BBC 1 "Songs of Praise" from Looe. |  |
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Mechanical music in the home is represented with the gentle sound of a Polyphon Disc Musical Box, made in Leipzig c. 1895. The player piano achieved it's greatest popularity in the 1920's, reproducing player pianos, the Welte-Mignon and the Ampico play rolls made from the performance of the pianist for example Grieg and Rachmaninov, or in the case of Ampico, superb arrangements of dance music from Broadway or Hollywood, Gershwin, Cole Porter etc... |
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Magnificent Music Machines is in a tranquil setting by the old mill stream. Paul Corin's father, who founded the museum in 1967, was the last miller of St. Keyne and bought Lametton Mill as it is known, in 1938. It is mentioned in the text of Daphne du Maurier's Novel "The Kings General" published in 1946. As well as entertaining visitors in the summer months, Paul is restoring instruments for clients all over the UK including Player Pianos and Wurlitzer Theatre Organs, he has a background in entertainment as his grandfather, Bransby Williams (1870-1961) was one of the great stars of the music hall, famous for his |
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portrayal of the characters of Charles Dickens. Also his uncle, Eric Bransby Williams (1900-1994) appeared in many films in the 1920's including Alfred Hitchcocks's last silent film "Easy Virtue" in 1927. |
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HOW TO FIND US FOLLOW the B3254 from Looe or Liskeard town centre, and turn off at the brown "Magnificent Music Machines"'signs. By train, hourly services to St. Keyne Station (request stop) on a scenic ex G.W.R. branch line from Looe or Liskeard (main line connections). Just down the hill from the famous well of St Keyne. Playing Daily, Telephone: (01579) 343108 Email: paulcorinmusic@yahoo.co.uk |
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