Welcome, and thank you for visiting the original website to be dedicated to the John Compton Organ Company
May I introduce The Compton List - the title by which my ongoing research into Compton Theatre Organs is now generally known.
Many Compton enthusiasts are already aware of this contemporary record - which first saw light of day in January 1990 - while others may be interested to learn of its existence for the first time.
It details the 261 theatre organs built by the John Compton Organ Company, and installed in theatres, town halls, and studios throughout the UK and overseas. It also continues to record movements of both organs intact, and, in all too many cases, the movements of components from organs continuing to be altered or broken up. Through the years, desires and opportunities to make money from disintegrating our UK theatre organ heritage have far outweighed the desires and opportunities to preserve. Consequently, very few theatre organs now remain in their original locations, although the hard work of a correspondingly few dedicated preservationists enables a few more to remain recognisable as the instruments they once were.
These web pages will be updated at regular intervals
I should like to draw your attention to the 'Organ of the Month' specification feature, to be found on the Specifications page.
The organ for August 2008 is the Rialto, Coventry (A358), opened 3 August 1936 by Leslie James.
In response to an increasing amount of enquiries relating to Compton Theatrones and Electrones, I have now added a brief outline of their development. Also, four new pages providing a mere glimpse of the church and concert side of Compton. In both areas - which will continue to be updated - may be found a selection of photographs, many by Camera Craft, London. Regrettably, their negative library no longer exists, and these now rare prints are reproduced here by courtesy of Derek Batten.
Should you wish to obtain copies of The Compton List, available specifications, or my Watford Cinemas book A Last Complete Performance, please make use of the e-mail facility to enquire.
The Compton Video may be ordered by contacting the supplier, whose e-mail address is linked to the Video page.
Please Note: All images on this web site are copyright
In the event of other parties wishing to reproduce any image(s) on other websites, or elsewhere, they are required to first seek my permission. It is unlikely that I shall refuse any reasonable and courteous request — so long as I am asked before, and not after, the deed.
