The organ was originally built in 1935 by the John Compton Organ Company for the Tower Cinema, West Bromwich and was known as job No A320. It had 3 manuals and 10 ranks of pipes inaddition to the patent "melotone" unit which produces its sounds electrostatically and blends nicely with the pipes. It is the melotone that Compton developed into a full electronic instrument which resulted in instruments like mine.
In 1960 the organ was removed from the cinema and, following a brief spell at a private house in Willenhall, was rescued by the Cinema Organ Society and installed in the recreation hall at Martson Green Maternity Hospital, Birmingham.
In 1986 the organ was removed to storage due to building extension plans until it was installed in 1992 at Malvern Hall, Solihull where it was opened by David Shepherd and Simon Gledhill. During installation here an 11th rank - a Trumpet from the ex Gaumont, Bromley Compton - was added as well as a piano attachment, new solid-state action and the revoicing of the Muted Trumpet to an Oboe. A new console was also built, the original illuminated one going to the Compton organ at Chorley Town Hall, Lancashire. This work was undertaken by Tom Sheffield, a local church organ builder.
In 2001, following plans to refurbish Malvern Hall, the organ has found a new home at Fentham Hall, Hampton-in-Arden where it is hoped will be playing by June 2003.
As Hampton-in-Arden is postally under Solihull, the organ can still be referred to by the Cinema Organ Society as "The Solihull Compton"!
The layout at Malvern Hall was as follows:
ACCOMPANIMENT CHAMBER: Diapason, Cello, Violin, Violin Celeste, Flute, Upright Piano, Traps (non-tonal percussions) and novelty effects (Bird Whistle etc)
SOLO CHAMBER: Tuba, Trumpet, Tibia, Oboe, Clarinet, Vox Humana, Melotone Horn speaker, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Chimes.
