This summer sees the welcome return of brass bands to the Pittville Park Bandstand. Of course, anyone who has seen the Pittville bandstand will know that it’s not really big enough for a full brass band, so the musicians will also occupy the grass area around the bandstand. We hope lots of people will come and bring picnics and hear them play. The timing of the sessions should fit in well with a lunchtime picnic. And even if there’s a little rain, the bands will still play but move to the covered area in front of the Pump Room.
Concerts are on Sundays and begin at 1.00pm. Please save the dates below:
21 June Metz Big Band
19 July Wotton Silver Band
2 August Gloucester Excelsior Band
16 August Gloucestershire Police Band
The events are supported by CBC, Friends of Pittville and The Cheltenham Trust.
The history of the Pitville Park Bandstand
| Copyright The Francis Frith Collection. The Pump Room 1901 showing the original position of the Bandstand. |
The current bandstand in Pittville was not the first to be built in the park. When the Pump Room was opened in 1830, there was no bandstand. The first appearance of a bandstand of any kind in the park was a temporary one, erected in 1895 in the Marle Hill area, and this was later moved to what was known as the Agg-Gardner Recreation Ground, the site of the current changing pavilion and football pitches on the west side. It remained a temporary installation until about 1900.
The existing bandstand was originally placed at the centre of the Pump Room, at the head of a path from the lake that at that time divided the lawn in front of the Pump Room. It was decided in 1901 to move it to its current position because the path was grassed over and many thought the bandstand detracted from the views of and from the Pump Room.
In 1900 a rectangular bandstand was constructed on the other side of Evesham Road near the boating lake. It didn’t last too many years, as it was apparently a target for vandalism and fell into disrepair. I must say, though, it would be a lovely spot to have a bandstand, somewhere in the vicinity of the boathouse!
So our current bandstand lives on, repaired and renewed by Cheltenham RAF Association in 1995, and then again by CBC most recently in 2021. Our challenge now is to use it. It may have been designed with smaller bands in mind, but come along and support the big bands that will play on and around it this summer.
Much of the information above is taken from an excellent article by Mick Kippin which can be found here.
Author: Andy Hopkin