Mechanical Music Museum and Bygones-

The museum story begins in the 1960,s when Robert Finbow attended steam rallies,fetes,etc.with a Gaviola Barrel Organ housed in a van. He had a second-hand business and in undertaking house clearances, occasionally came across a music box, a polyphon,a street piano or some other musical item which he had a good sense to store safely. Robert loved the fairground and the music of the fair organs and he went to acquire the Limonaire Fair organ and the Decap Dance Band Organ. These eventually housed in a large van, together with the Gaviola Barrel organ which enabled them to be transported to steam rallies and other such events around the country with his friends, Ray and Phyllis Keeble.

In 1975 Cotton began its own small rally know as the "Exhibition". Owing to many friends that had made over the years at rallies, there was no difficulty in obtaining exhibitors, stall holders, air organs or fairground equipment and the rally eventually became to large there was a problem in accommodating all who wished to exhibit. During the 1970's Robert had a large building erected in order to fulfil his dream to have a museum of musical items and numerous other pieces of memorabilia, which he had collected over the years and so share the things he loved with the public.Slowly,the museum took shape, but Robert felt that a Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe organ or similar would complete the collection.

After talking to various people and looking around, David Ivory was introduced now Cotton Museums resident organist). He in turn introduced David English who had a Wurlitzer stored on  a farm not far from cotton.

Then started the mammoth task of transporting all the hundreds of pieces and spreading them over a wide area of floor of the 'Museum'. It was impossible to believe that all these pieces would eventually become a mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.

However, over a period of time, after much hard work of drilling a digging up of the concrete floor with' slave labour's pit was made to accommodate the proposed lift. Then with the help of an organ builder and the two David's, the organ slowly began to take shape together with the organ chambers filled with numerous other items like drums,Xylophone,bells,etc.and all the sounds needed to create the atmosphere for the silent movies. In the meantime Robert had acquired two further organs, namely the Gebruder Fair Organ and the very large Mortier Cafe Organ.

The last rally Exhibition) was held in Cotton in 1982.It was a sad occasion as the exhibition disbanded at the end of the day. Later the same year, the museum was officially opened by Nigel Ogden, the well know Theatre Organist from the radio programme," The organist Entertains". Robert ambition had been realised.

Since that time the Cotton Music Museum has been open during the summer months fro June to September on Sunday afternoons 2:30 to 5:30 pm and during the week in the same months for private parties by arrangement. The aim is to entertain and educate all ages of the general public from this country and overseas. The numerous entries in our visitors' book seem to verify that this is achieved with entries like,"smashin,unbelievable,enthralling,must come again!

In September 1994,the founder of the museum, Robert Finbow sadly died very suddenly. He is greatly missed by all those connected with museum, but a Trust formed in 1989 is maintaining the museum in the way it is felt Robert would have wished.