Bandstands ...... nu 5 .....Victoria Park ......Denton

 Now anyone old enough to remember municipal bandstands in their hey day will have watched their slow decline.

It was a combination of things from that war time push to recycle old iron which robbed the stands of their ornate pillars and roof, to successive budget cuts and finally that simple fact that they fell out of fashion.

So when I was growing up our band stand which had long ago had become just a brick stand was just somewhere that on rainy days you played.

No one sat in deck chairs enjoying a selection of music as the sun was reflected on the shiny brass instruments and park authorities looked upon them as old unfashionable blots on the landscape.

And this one comes courtesy of Christopher Roman, and it is the one in Victoria Park in Denton.

"Denton has recently had the Grade II listed Edwardian bandstand restored to former glory, after suffering from missing iron work, rotting wood and need of a re-roof. This has been achieved through receiving a substantial grant form the Heritage Lottery Fund and Tameside MBC's Preservation of Historic Buildings Fund.

The restoration took 3 months to be completed by Dorothea Restorations Ltd, with a celebratory event taking place on 16th June 2007, 12-4pm, with the official opening, Denton Brass Band, Musical Youth and entertainment for all the family".*

Location; Denton

Picture; Bandstand, Victoria Park, Denton,courtesy of Christopher Roman

*Victoria Park, Denton, https://www.tameside.gov.uk/parks/victoriapark