I suppose we are lucky in this area that the Compton organ from the Queens cinema in Grimsby was rescued and has been installed in the Louth Town Hall.
It has been restored to it's former glory complete with colour change. It is played regularly by guest organists.When the ABC (Regal) Grimsby was modernised in 1966 the Compton organ from there was moved to ABC Kingston. I don't know the fate of that cinema, it may have closed like many others since then.
@rayemsgy When did the Compton move to the ABC ? To my knowlege the organ in the Regal/Union/ABC Kingston was, and always had been a Wurlitzer 3/12, starting life as a 3/11 in a private residence in the US, Tuba being added in the Cinema,having grown up playing the organ in its current home in Brentford Music Museum :)
@LanchesterEarlyMusic Carl, I think that possibly the locations are being mixed up here. The ABC Hull which is actually Kingston upon Hull may the one that Ray means, rather than Kingston - on - Thames. This Yorkshire port is commonly referred to as Hull, but it's actual name is Kingston and it stands on the river Hull which feeds into the Humber at that point. Grimsby being south of the estuary but not a million miles away.
@Electron1944 Oh right ! I was in Hull this weekend just gone actually, the veterans weekend playing an Allen Digital organ.
There were some nice organs in Hull, one of those I moved recently, the Marshall Sykes from the Cecil theatre *Still there as a bingo !* that is now in the south east, and the Astoria had a nice Compton.
@rayemsgy If it did go to Kingston, it was probably to be parted out by Joe, he did alot of that, with being the music director during the phase of all the organs being removed, sad that one of the best organists had to get rid of all the instruments. Must have been awful when he had to get rid of his own at Kingston ! There were alot of offers for it for houses etc, but he picked the museum as he knew it would be in good hands :)
@rayemsgy The ex Queens Hall Grimsby console was flood damaged in 1953. The two original manuals went to Gorleston on Sea. The organ, as you rightly say, was installed in Louth Town Hall, but with a replacement console from the ex Savoy, Leyton, apart from the toe piston board and some other usable parts from the original.
@LanchesterEarlyMusic Sorry if I am wrong. I was looking in my copy of Ivor Buckingham's Compton List and found that information there. Maybe I misread or misinterpreted something.
I suppose we are lucky in this area that the Compton organ from the Queens cinema in Grimsby was rescued and has been installed in the Louth Town Hall.
It has been restored to it's former glory complete with colour change. It is played regularly by guest organists.When the ABC (Regal) Grimsby was modernised in 1966 the Compton organ from there was moved to ABC Kingston. I don't know the fate of that cinema, it may have closed like many others since then.
rayemsgy 8 months ago
@rayemsgy When did the Compton move to the ABC ? To my knowlege the organ in the Regal/Union/ABC Kingston was, and always had been a Wurlitzer 3/12, starting life as a 3/11 in a private residence in the US, Tuba being added in the Cinema,having grown up playing the organ in its current home in Brentford Music Museum :)
LanchesterEarlyMusic 6 months ago
@LanchesterEarlyMusic Carl, I think that possibly the locations are being mixed up here. The ABC Hull which is actually Kingston upon Hull may the one that Ray means, rather than Kingston - on - Thames. This Yorkshire port is commonly referred to as Hull, but it's actual name is Kingston and it stands on the river Hull which feeds into the Humber at that point. Grimsby being south of the estuary but not a million miles away.
Electron1944 6 months ago
@Electron1944 Oh right ! I was in Hull this weekend just gone actually, the veterans weekend playing an Allen Digital organ.
There were some nice organs in Hull, one of those I moved recently, the Marshall Sykes from the Cecil theatre *Still there as a bingo !* that is now in the south east, and the Astoria had a nice Compton.
LanchesterEarlyMusic 6 months ago
@LanchesterEarlyMusic
The Compton organ was removed from the ABC Grimsby in 1966 when the cinema was modernised.
It was sent to the ABC Kingston upon Thames but not sure what happened to it after that .It maybe went into storage or used as spare parts.
rayemsgy 6 months ago
@rayemsgy If it did go to Kingston, it was probably to be parted out by Joe, he did alot of that, with being the music director during the phase of all the organs being removed, sad that one of the best organists had to get rid of all the instruments. Must have been awful when he had to get rid of his own at Kingston ! There were alot of offers for it for houses etc, but he picked the museum as he knew it would be in good hands :)
LanchesterEarlyMusic 6 months ago
@rayemsgy The ex Queens Hall Grimsby console was flood damaged in 1953. The two original manuals went to Gorleston on Sea. The organ, as you rightly say, was installed in Louth Town Hall, but with a replacement console from the ex Savoy, Leyton, apart from the toe piston board and some other usable parts from the original.
Electron1944 6 months ago
@Electron1944 Savoy Leyton is owned by someone I know in the midlands now, was a Kinestra console. They have another one at Louth now.
LanchesterEarlyMusic 6 months ago
@LanchesterEarlyMusic Sorry if I am wrong. I was looking in my copy of Ivor Buckingham's Compton List and found that information there. Maybe I misread or misinterpreted something.
Electron1944 6 months ago
Thanks for this Ray, it's so nice to see these early ones re-emerging.
Electron1944 8 months ago