Unique Compton organ to be revealed after restoration during University of Westminster’s Fyvie Festival

The unique pipe organ will be introduced to the public in a series of concerts during Fyvie Festival running in Fyvie Hall at 309 Regent Street between 31 October and 4 November. Members of the public will even be able to get up close with and play on the historic musical instrument. 

All events in the Fyvie Festival are open to the public, but the free places are limited and need to be booked in advance.

The Fyvie Festival, celebrating the past and future of this historic venue, will kick off at 5.30pm on Monday 31 October with a public seminar on the recently restored Fyvie Hall murals representing London’s arts and crafts, held by the restorers from the Simon Gillespie Studio.

At 5.30pm on Tuesday 1 November a public lecture will explore the life, work and influence of Ethel Wood CBE whose bequest left to the University made the restoration of the Fyvie Hall organ possible. 

This will be followed by the much-anticipated inaugural concert on the Fyvie Hall organ by renowned organist Paul Hale at 7.30pm on Wednesday 2 November, passing on the baton to the University’s own Professor Andrew Linn holding a lunch time organ concert at 12.30pm on Friday 4 November. The Fyvie Festival will conclude with an opportunity for the public to have a go on the restored Fyvie Hall organ between 13.30-3pm on Friday 4 November, with Professor Andrew Linn and organ-builder Peter Hammond on hand to talk about the organ and give guests the chance to play it.

Concert organist and consultant Paul Hale said: “So few of John Compton’s instruments remain untouched that the restoration of this unique example is of great cultural significance. Not only did Compton organs sound fine but they were astonishingly advanced in their electrical mechanisms, which resemble telephone exchanges. Taylor-Hammond has restored to reliable working order this 1934 equipment in the Fyvie Hall, which is a tremendous achievement.” 

Professor Andrew Linn, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Head of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, said: “The restored Fyvie Hall organ joins the 1936 Compton organ in the Regent Street Cinema as the foundation stone for musical performance on our Regent Campus and in the wider University. We have a wealth of talent in our University community and on our doorstep in Central London, and this is an exciting time for the University, building on our heritage to help empower the future of our world-leading Arts provision.”

The John Compton Organ Company installed the Fyvie Hall organ in 1934 to support Fyvie Hall’s function as the main ceremonial space for the Regent Street Polytechnic, the predecessor of the University of Westminster. The organ includes rare or indeed unique features, notably the ‘knee swell’ device for opening shutters in the top of the case to moderate the volume of the instrument and the massive wooden multi-pin plug to allow the console to be moved away from the body of the instrument. The restoration works by Taylor-Hammond Associates Ltd has now given a new lease of life to this historic musical instrument.

All events in the Fyvie Festival are open to the public, but the free places are limited and need to be booked in advance.

For further information about all aspects of the Fyvie Festival or with any questions, including press enquiries, please contact the University of Westminster Press Office.

About Fyvie Hall

Located on the Regent Campus of the University of Westminster in the heart of London, the oak-panelled Fyvie Hall exudes a culturally rich history, while continuing to be a busy venue in the life of the University.

Created in 1911 to provide a meeting space for 300 people, it was part of the rebuilding of 309 Regent Street, increasing space for the Polytechnic’s ambitious programme of evening classes, social and sporting activities. Reflecting this, the stained-glass windows contain the Polytechnic’s logo - St George and the Dragon - as well as Christian imagery and verse.

Alexander John Forbes-Leith, Lord Leith of Fyvie (1847-1925), generously contributed to the project, and later became one of the Polytechnic’s Governors. 

Activities taking place in the Hall included Bible study classes, Polytechnic Parliament sessions, Cycling Club pantomimes and dances. It was also the venue for performances by students from the Polytechnic’s School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, and School of Music, as well as Prize-giving and Speech Day ceremonies. The tradition continues today with examinations, degree shows, lectures and exhibitions finding their home in Fyvie Hall.

The oil-painted canvas panels were added in 1923 and are the work of students at the Polytechnic School of Art including Delmar Banner (1896-1968), Alice Burton (1893-1968) and Edward Osmond (1900-1981). The panels form a chronological sequence representing London’s arts and crafts as the modern Polytechnic remembered the technical industries of the past.

About the Fyvie Hall organ

To support Fyvie Hall’s function as the main ceremonial space for the Polytechnic, an organ was installed in 1934, built by the John Compton Organ Company. The Fyvie Hall organ bears a plaque indicating that it was provided thanks to the generosity of one of the governors of the Polytechnic, Lord Blanesburgh (1861-1946). It was inaugurated in a concert held on 19 October 1934, and, according to the Polytechnic Magazine, was used regularly for concerts.

The Compton Organ Company specialised in installing versatile instruments in small spaces, and the organ pipes, blower and mechanism are all contained in the oak case at the back of the Hall, while the detached console has been kept in the storeroom behind Fyvie Hall, where it has suffered some damage over the years. The organ includes some rare or indeed unique features, notably the ‘knee swell’ device for opening shutters in the top of the case to moderate the volume of the instrument and the massive wooden multi-pin plug to allow the console to be moved away from the body of the instrument. It is not known when the organ was last played or playable.

When Ethel Wood CBE, the daughter of Quintin Hogg, died in 1970, she left a bequest to the Polytechnic, which was later agreed to be used for the restoration of the organ. Tenders were sought from organ-builders experienced in historical restorations, and the contract was awarded to Taylor-Hammond Associates.

As the University’s Organ Consultant Paul Hale wrote in his advisory report, “not very many Comptons remain unaltered, un-modernised, and in their original homes … hardly any have been so little played that their mechanism, wiring, blower and pipes can readily be restored to “as new” condition…all this makes the 1934 Fyvie Hall Compton a rare and precious survivor.”

The newly restored organ will be inaugurated during the Fyvie Festival, launching a new era of musical performance at the University, providing access to music for all of its communities and the public.

Music at Westminster

Music has always been an important part of the University’s life, not least the Music-related research carried out across the University’s colleges.

The Westminster School of Arts leads the way in Music research, through the Centre for Research and Education in Art and Media (CREAM), one of the most successful and highly rated Arts research centres in the UK. CREAM has 30 researchers and over 50 PhD students, approximately half of whom are undertaking practice-based degrees.

In the Research Excellence Framework 2021 CREAM achieved the highest ranking of any institution for impact across a broad range of Music, Art and Design research, with 45% of its research judged to be ‘world-leading’ and 63% deemed to be ‘internationally excellent’ in its impact.

A track record of success for Music courses

The music courses at the University of Westminster offer expertise in key fields of commercial music such as music production, music performance and music business/enterprise. Whether students aspire to be music artists, producers, performers, songwriters, composers, musicologists, journalists, DJs, technologists, entrepreneurs, business specialists or educators, the Westminster courses nurture their aspirations and ensure they develop a broad range of transferable, music-related skills.

The University incorporates a strong focus on reflective practice and contextual studies, meaning that Westminster graduates are positioned to become innovators and thought leaders for the future of the constantly evolving music industries.

The University’s music industry links in the thriving London community facilitate guest lectures from leading professionals and maximise opportunities for students to network and begin their career while on the course.

Based at Harrow Campus, the courses also offer unique opportunities to collaborate with students from other academic disciplines including Film, TV, Radio, Fashion and Media, and provide networking opportunities with relevant professional societies and organisations. As a result, Westminster graduates have excellent employment opportunities and the ability to build thriving careers in many areas of the creative industries.

They enjoy success across the music industries, including in music synchronisation (Theodore, Wake the Town and Big Sync Music), music management (East City Management, Solar Management), media production (the BBC’S Banks and Wag, Aidan Lavelle, and Roll7’s Stephen Bennett), and as artists and producers (Sigala, Bree Runway, Emmy the Great, Jamie Woon).