The Compton Theatre Organ has a rich history, which such a magnificent organ deserves. From December 2, 1983 to December 3, 2003, the Compton 3/11 theatre organ played in the Concert and Auditorium in Middelburg. It might be interesting to take a moment to reflect on a bit of the history of this instrument.
 

Some quick numbers: 1935 – 1961 The Majestic Cinema in Rochester; 1961 – 1981 Roman Catholic Church in Orpington-Kent 1981 – 2005 Concert- and Auditorium in Middelburg 2005 - far into the future ;-) Draaiorgelmuseum in Haarlem. We then go back to 1935 when the organ was built.

The John Compton Organ Company

The demand for theatre organs at the beginning of the last century resulted in the manufacture of these organs in various parts of the world.
The pipework, regardless of the make, was all of equal construction and character.
Based on the romantic style of the classical organs around 1900.
The electrically driven wind supply was technically at a far advanced stage at the time, that this type of “unit” organ – also called “extention” organ – was accepted as the most suitable organ for theatres.
The electromagnets, necessary to control the wind supply for the pipes in the wind chests, had been given the predicate “reliable”.
Apart from such electro-pneumatic actions for the pipes and percussions, such mechanisms were also used for the so-called multi-contact relay. The relay, with the function of the central switching system between the console and the pipework, can be compared to the function of the telephone exchange as a central link between subscribers in a telephone conversation. Organ builders based the relays on the system developed by Würlitzer, after the ideas of the Englishman Robert Hope Jones. However, this system required a lot of space and wind supply and was therefore very expensive. John Compton was the only organ builder to start experiments with a system that used direct electro-magnets and made the expensive wind supply with its pneumatic actions redundant.

from left to right: Pedal, Accompaniment, Great, Solo.

The Compton “direct-electric” relay was so compact that it could be placed in a narrow cabinet against a wall.

This system had the added advantage that the control and adjustment of contacts could be done while the organ was fully functioning.
With organs from other manufacturers, the wind supply had to be shut off first.
The manufacturers also applied the pneumatic system in the console for the operation of the registers, register rockers, etc.
John Compton was the first to introduce the “all-electric” console, by again using electro-magnets for these functions.