Band History: the early years

After early success in competition and performances at a range of festivities the Band played an important part in the town's celebrations to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria on 22nd June 1897. The stage for this was a raft moored near the Suspension Bridge, and upwards of 2000 people were present, no doubt encouraged by the portions of "mouth watering roasted Jubilee Ox" which were given away.

At this time there was only one bandstand in the town which had been erected in 1888 in Bedford Park, where it still stands today. This site was not greatly favoured by bands as "collections did not yield satisfactory results." This led to suggestions for a bandstand by the river to complement the one in Bedford Park, but the idea was not formally considered by the Council until the following year.

The Band continued their summer seasons of Sunday concerts in Bedford Park and Mill Meadows, but the question of entertainment on the Sabbath was raised at a Council Meeting. At the same meeting one particular Alderman stated that "... if he had his way, he would have prevented the bands playing at all on Sundays since the bands playing in Mill Meadows, particularly, caused scenes of rowdyism and ruffianism which were a positive disgrace and a curse in the town. There were many present at the concerts who would otherwise be in a place of worship and as to the argument that some people were kept away from the public houses he would contend it was better to let such people stay in the public houses than that the youth of the town should be demoralized in the way that they were at the concerts in Mill Meadows. He had frequently been obliged to go a longer way home from church on a Sunday evening because he would not take his children past such scenes of ruffianism as were to be witnessed." It was agreed however that the rowdyism was not the fault of the Band, even though they were the main reason for the people being there.

Despite this 'picturesque' description of Sunday afternoons in Mill Meadows the Council again discussed the subject of a bandstand and compromised by instructing the Borough Engineer to accept a tender of £48 15s for the "... raising of the existing platform with the provision of a fence, hand rail, also proper footpaths."

It may well have been that these 'improvements' were carried out because 1902 saw the Coronation of Edward VII and one of the proposed festivities was a grand procession headed by the Band.