Town Hall
Louth
Lincolnshire

The North Lincolnshire Theatre Organ Preservation Society was formed in 1970 and the organ was purchased in 1972 as scrap, the console and pedal board having been destroyed by water during the East Coast floods of the 1950’s. A replacement console was purchased, this came from the Savoy Leyton, and it was a very early Compton Kinestra with a serial number of 4 and dated back to 1928. The Illuminated Surround came from the Ritz Huddersfield off a Wurlitzer, one of the few with an Illuminated Surround, and the only one with an Illuminated Seat. The Louth Borough Council altered the balcony and built the organ chamber at a cost of £1900, the rest being given by the society.

The Compton took a year to install working on Sundays and Monday Evenings, and was finally played in public at a Dance in October 1975, followed by a Dance in the November and a Concert in the December played by Arnold Loxam who has played every Christmas Concert ever since. This was celebrated in December 2000, when it was 25 years since it was installed and also Arnold’s 25th Christmas Concert. When the Organ was completed it was handed over to the East Lindsey District Council, but we are still responsible for it’s upkeep and maintenance, so to enable us to achieve this we run Nine Concerts a year from September to May featuring the Country’s top Organists.

Since the Compton has been installed it has been enlarged by the addition of five further ranks these being a Diapason from the Gaumont Derby, and a Vox Humana from the Carlton Essex Road, London. During 2004, Clarinet & Krummet ranks from the Regal Cinema Canterbury, a Diaphone from the Gaumont Derby and a String Celeste from the New Victoria London have been installed. This brings the specification now to 3/10. In the summer of 2005, the console has been changed for a more modern one (1936) which was removed from the Ritz Cinema Barrow in Furness in 1965 and has been in storage for 40 years until being brought to the Town Hall. It’s an interesting fact that the Organ has now been playing longer in the Town Hall than in it’s original Cinema home.

The Victorian Town Hall has been restored to its original grandeur at a cost of one and a quarter million pounds.  The console is situated on the balcony of the upstairs ballroom directly in front of the organ chambers.  The swell shutters are behind ornate grilles on either side of the console and there is a wrought iron balustrade the width of the ballroom, directly behind the organ seat.  As the decoration of the grille is quite open the footwork of the organist can be seen and appreciated by all.

The acoustics are very good and the fine decorative plaster ceiling is revealed in all its glory, having been fully restored and painted in its original colours.

Whilst the Town Hall was being restored, the Society purchased a Hammond C3 and, to maintain interest whilst the main organ was out of use, the C3 was used for concerts in an adjoining Council Chamber whilst the ballroom was full of scaffolding.  The C3 has been retained and is now on a stage below the Compton and is featured briefly in each half of the concerts to provide contrast and as a showcase for the organist's ability.

Louth Town Hall

Information

of the Compton 3/10 Theatre Organ, Town Hall, Louth, Lincolnshire