Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life's 3/6 Compton Cinema Organ, formerly of the Mayfair Cinema, Liverpool.
Summerlee Museum Of Scottish Industrial Life, Heritage Way
Coatbridge
ML51QD
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In the heyday of cinema-going, many grand picture palaces housed “cinema organs” which were evolved from church-like instruments in attempt to replace the ‘too-quiet’ pianist or ‘too expensive’ orchestra for the accompaniment of silent films, hence them being branded the “unit orchestra”.
Our cinema organ was built by the John Compton Organ Company in 1937 and installed in the 1,750 seater Mayfair Cinema, Liverpool. After the cinema was demolished in the 1980s, the organ lay in storage for a while, before it was restored by the Scottish Cinema Organ Trust in the ‘90s, and housed at Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, now boasting pipework from all across the UK.
The organ unfortunately fell into disrepair for some time after the museum’s refurbishment, however, we are very pleased to report that the organ is singing sweetly once again after a very recent period of restoration by Balfour-Rowley Ltd. Organ Builders.
With some of the organ’s restoration journey still to go, we look forward to re-introducing this previously much-loved instrument to the local community and organ world through a multitude of events, giving the 81 year old artefact a new lease of 21st century life.
