THE THEATRE ORGAN
Robert Hope-Jones (1859-1914), Father of The Theatre Organ
PART TWO: BUILDERS OF THE THEATRE ORGANS
THIS PAGE IS WRITTEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH GLEN TWAMLEY (FRIENDS OF BEER WURLITZER)
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PAGE THIRTY-SIX:
THE COMPTON THEATRE ORGAN
SURVIVING
John Compton, Pioneer, Innovator and Organ Builder
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THE COMPTON ORGAN
OF THE DREAMLAND CINEMA MARGATE
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Dreamland Cinema and Amusement Park
The Dreamland Cinema in Margate was one of my favourite cinemas and was often referred to as The Hall by the Sea. At one time, my parents would take me to Cliftonville, which is close to Margate, for our summer holidays. I remember being impressed with the exterior of the cinema and always wanted to go inside. I eventually did and saw Walt Disney’s film, Treasure Island. This film was especially memorable thanks to the remarkable performance of Robert Newton, as Long John Silver.
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The cinema opened in March 1935. Its exterior design was noteworthy as it was the first cinema to be built with a large fin tower that could be seen from some distance by those walking along the promenade. In addition to the cinema, there were several bars, a ballroom and a cafe with a view of the sea. The cinema was closed between 1940 and 1946, as a result of the Second World War.
In April 1973, the cinema was converted into two small cinemas in the former balcony and a live theatre in the stalls. Unfortunately, this conversion was not a success and in January 1975, the building was closed and converted into a Bingo Club. A third screen was added in the former balcony bar in 1981 and operated until 2007 when the Bingo Club and the two cinemas closed.
The building remained closed until 2011 when a restoration process was began. The cinema had been given Grade II Listed Status by English Heritage, which had been upgraded to Grade II* in 2008.
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Although I do not remember details of the interior decor, I do remember that I found it to be very grand with colours that were similar to those used in the Odeon Theatre Hackney Road, another great favourite of mine.
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The cinema has an Compton Theatre Organ with a Special Illuminated Console Case in Rainbow Style and 4-manuals, 19-ranks with a grand piano attachment and was installed in March 1935 . Sadly, I do not recall ever hearing it played. The Organ was opened by Lewis Gerard and seems to have been played until the closure of the Bingo Club where it had been used occasionally for concerts.
The Dreamland Cinema Compton Theatre Organ Console and Illuminated Bench
The Organ is still present at the Cinema today and is in actuality a hybrid. Noterman Organs had installed an Organ in the cinema, however for the most part, it was replaced with a Compton instrument, but some of the original pipework was retained. As result, the Organ now present is known as a Compton/Noterman.
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A Comment from Mr. Len Rawle.
After a period when the Dreamland Cinema was converted to a Bingo Hall, it remains intact and was in fact used in a recent TV series, but sadly with no sight of the impressive organ console.
The most recent restorer of the organ was my good friend, Mr. David Wattenbach. I was lucky enough to play a couple of concerts there for him when he had the organ at its all-time best and I have to say that despite the cinema’s poor acoustics, the instrument had some outstanding ranks of pipes and was a pure joy to play.
The organ is made up of parts from 2 organ builders – classical organ pipes from the original Noterman instrument originally installed there, but which was not ideal for purpose, plus a complete Compton cinema organ and new console brought in to transform the effectiveness of the installation.
When I last spoke with David, who after having laboured long and hard dealing, amongst other things with beach sand that had blown into the rooftop organ chambers, he said the organ was finally silenced as a result of the wiring in the main cable and possibly the electrics generally having been condemned by local officialdom. Despite a hair-raising external climb up to roof level, David remains as keen as I am to see this unique organ come back to life but feels he has to wait in the wings until the politics surrounding the building are resolved.
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Alphonse Noterman (1868-1919) was a Belgian Organ Builder who worked with the famous Organ Builder Cavaileé-Coll in Paris. He came to London where he established a business in Shepherds Bush in 1898. Following his death, the firm was run by his two sons, A.A. (Arthur) Noterman (died 1950s) and Gaston Noterman (~1892-1954). In the 1980s, the company was taken over by David Pawlyn who went on to hold an important place in British Theatre Organ History for his involvement in a number of Organ restorations.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Mr. Ian McIver for providing information and photographs. I would also like to thank Mr. Stephen Dutfield for allowing the reproduction of some photographs from The Compton List here and for the information provided there.
I would like to thank Mr. Len Rawle for his comment.
Many thanks are due to Mr. Paul Bland for his help and encouragement during the writing of this piece; I also would like to thank him for the information that he has provided and for the photographs that he graciously allowed to be reproduced here.
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Click here to return to PART ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGAN
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Click here to return to PART TWO: THE THEATRE ORGAN HOME PAGE
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Click here to go to the TABLE OF CONTENTS
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My father Bill Andrews (William John Andrews) who passed away in the early 80’s was one of the founders of the restoration of the Dreamland Cinema Organ raising money with concerts with the like of Lewis Gerard etc. We have a lot of photos & recordings & memorabillia which could belong in a museum & be shared with others who are interested. Look forward to hearing from anyone wo can help.
Yours sincerely, Peter John Andrews
Many thanks for visiting my website.
I hope some readers will be able to help you in your quest.
Charles