AN ENGLISH CINEMA ORGAN BY THE JOHN COMPTON ORGAN CO

AN ENGLISH CINEMA ORGAN BY THE JOHN COMPTON ORGAN CO, C1930 the three manual stop-key console with 3 x 61 note manuals and 32 note pedal board, in Art Deco illuminated glass surround with matching stool, ranks of pipes, tuba, horn, clarinet, oboe, box, tibia, cello, violin, celeste, flute and diapason, manual chest and base chest, two sets of standard Compton horizontal shutters and actions, toy counter, Compton standard tune percussion including xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone and chimes, multi stage blower, four tremulants, regulators, framework, pipe racks, wind ducting, manifolds, flanges and joints, console and surround approximately 165cm h; 113 x 254cmJohn Compton (1876-1957) established his eponymous company after a brief partnership in Nottingham in the early 20th c. The present magnificent Art Deco instrument is one of the total of 261 that the company built at its workshops in Chiswick and subsequently at a purpose-built factory at North Acton, London. They were installed in cinemas and theatres throughout the British Isles. In the 1930s the cost was approximately £3,000, representing a major investment but one which was regarded as essential in the era of the silent films where it replaced an orchestra in the pit. It also continued to play an important role with the advent of the talkies where the organist entertained the audience between features.