Weston-super-Mare Couple Installs Vintage Cinema Organ in Residence

A husband and wife from Weston-super-Mare, who share a lifelong passion for organ music, have installed an original 1930s cinema organ in their home. Simon and Edna Martin dedicated a year to renovating the 1934 electric Compton, which had previously been used in two picture houses. The organ now serves as the focal point of a small room, where Mr. Martin, 51, stated he regularly entertains his friends and family. He commented, “People think you need a cinema to install one of these, but actually, with Comptons you don’t need a lot of room.” Mrs. Martin, 89, revealed that they kept the organ, which was first purchased in 2005, a secret until she had completed designing their home auditorium. This space was decorated in the traditional cinema colors of crimson and gold, and the organ was ready for its unveiling. She remarked, “Every single person to open that door says ‘wow’.” Mrs. Martin added, “To me, the music is the heart and soul of it. Simon plays from the heart, he doesn’t play conventionally, and you can hear that in his music.” The Compton pipe organ was originally designed to accompany silent films and includes a full selection of tuned percussions and effects. Mr. Martin’s specific instrument features more than 500 pipes, with lengths ranging from one inch to 16ft (4.9m). “The organ is really like a small orchestra, but you’re the conductor, you’re all the members of the orchestra, and sometimes you’re the arranger too, so orchestral pieces, or popular music, can sound halfway decent on the organ,” Mr Martin said. Each Compton produces a slightly different sound, and Mr. Martin’s is particularly rare because it incorporates a Melotone—an electronic unit fitted to some Comptons between 1935 and 1939 to generate tones electrostatically. Mr. Martin noted, “The sound is very unlike what we would think of as contemporary music.” He expressed his fondness for the instrument, stating, “I just like the tones that the theatre organ produces. I love it to pieces and I’m going to keep playing it as long as I can.” He further added, “If other people enjoy it and get pleasure from it, that’s just a wonderful bonus.” Weston-super-Mare also hosts another historic Compton cinema organ at the town’s Plaza. This particular organ is one of only three in public use across the UK and has been entertaining audiences since 1935.