WOLVERHAMPTON CIVIC HALL

Job number A383 at Wolverhampton Civic Hall was built for the sum of £6,000 and was designed 

by John Compton himself with input from Gilbert Mills.  Unusually for a Compton of this period, 

there is less extension employed than usual with the total number of ranks being 40.  The pipes are 

housed in 2 chambers above the roof of the hall speaking into the auditorium via a grille in the acoustic 

hood.  The 2 horn speakers for the melotone were located outside the chambers behind the acoustic 

hood.  The specification at the time of opening read:

PEDAL					GREAT

Sub Bass 				32’	Double Open Diapason			16'

Contra Bass 			16’	Open Diapason 1			8'

Open Bass 				16’	Open Diapason 2			8'

Salicional Bass 			16’	Open Diapason			8'

Violone 				16’	Stopped Diapason			8'

Sub Bass 				16’	Octave				4'

Bourdon 				16’	Principal				4'

Quint 				10.2/3’	Twelfth				2.2/3'

Octave 				8’	Fifteenth				2'

Salicional 				8’	Superoctave			2'

Flute 				8’	Fourniture	19-22-26-29		IV

Fourniture 				IV	Harmonics 17-21-23-25		IV

Harmonics 				32’	Contra Posaune			16'

Harmonics 				16’	Tromba				8'

Bombarde 				16’	Horn				8'

Posaune 				16’	Clarion				4'

Trumpet 				16’	Swell to Great

Bombarde 				8’

Posaune 				8’	SWELL

Bombarde 				4’	Violone				16'

Choir to pedal				Geigen				8'

Great to Pedal				Viola da Gamba			8'

Swell to Pedal				Viole Celeste t.c.			8'

Solo to Pedal				Rohr Flote				8'

					Geigen Octave			4'

CHOIR					Viola				4'						

Contra Salicional 			16’	Fifteenth				2'

Bourdon 				16’	Mixture 12-15-19-22			IV

Open Diapason 			8’	Double Trumpet			16'

Gemshorn 				8’	Trumpet				8'

Salicional 				8’	Hautboy				8'

Vox Angelica 			8’	Clarion				4'

Claribel Flute 			8’	Sub Octave

Lieblich Gedeckt 			8’	Octave

Salicet 				4’	Tremulant

Flauto Traverso 			4’

Lieblich Flote 			4’	SOLO

Nazard 				2.2/3’	Violoncello 			8’

Twelfth 				2.2/3’	Viole Celeste 			8’

Flautino 				2’	Harmonic Flute 			8’

Fifteenth 				2’	Harmonic Flute 			4’

Tierce 				1.3/5'	Clarinet 				8’

Acuta 				II	Orchestral Oboe 			8’

Horn 				8’	Tuba 				8’

Posaune 				8’	Tuba Clarion 			4’

Tuba 				8’	Trumpet 				8’

Krummhorn (melotone) 		8’	Sustainer

Great to Choir				Tremulant

Swell to Choir

Sustainer					MELOTONE (on Solo)

Tremulant 				Melotone 				8’

 					Melotone 				4’

ACCESSORIES				Melotone Twelfth 			2.2/3’

8 double touch thumb pistons to Choir and Pedal	Super Melo 			2’

6 double touch thumb pistons to Great		Krummhorn			8’

6 double touch thumb pistons to Swell		Cor Anglais 			8’

6 double touch thumb pistons to Solo		Musette 				8’

6 general thumb pistons			Vibraphone 			4’

2 toe pistons to Sustainers (Choir and Solo)		Carillon

4 double touch thumb pistons to Pedal couplers		Chimes

1 reversible thumb piston - Swell to Great		Echo Control

1 reversible thumb piston - Great to Pedal		Vibrato

1 general cancel thumb piston

2 balanced expression pedals with indicators

1 balanced crescendo pedal with indicator

Double touch canceller to each division

Ventil Control Switches

Voltmeter

The organ was aid to be "dual-purpose".  Fine instrument as it was, it was never really theatrical (ie no Vox 

or Tibia).  Had more money been available at the time then another instrument like Southampton Guildhall 

may well have been installed.  The melotone was disconnected in about 1939 although was said to have been 

used by Reginald Dixon in the 1950s.  After the 1960s, the organ was used less and until the 1990s, was

virtually derelict.  In the mid 1990s the organ was given a complete new lease of life by the new borough

organist Steve Tovey who got regular concerts organised and had the organ compeltely overhauled and 

restored by Hawkins of Lichfield.  New action was fitted, a complete set of percussions and effects and an

electronic piano module along with a Tibia (Conacher) , Krummet, Kinura and English Horn.  Quint and

Tierce couplers were also fitted to give that "Blackpool" sound.  However, the layout was not traditional

theatre organ and a Wurlitzer console (ex Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, later BBC theatre organ) has 

recently been acquired which will enable a full theatre organ layout.  The original 1938 console will

remain the same making the set up almost like Southampton Guildhall.  Having a Wurlitzer console

powering Compton ranks will certainly cause some differing opinions in the organ world!  During the

overhaul the melotone was regrettably removed but is now in functioning on theatre organist Paul 

Kirner's Compton at his home in Leicestershire.