A big band led by Eric Pembleton from the late 1940’s and into the 1980’s. They were the house band at the Festival Inn, Trowell, Notts. Eric retired in the early 1980’s and Colin Cox led the band from there into the early 2000’s. Ranging from big band favourites like Glen Miller and Hoagy Carmichael they would add hits of the day to their repertoire like “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, “Joybringer by Manfred Manns Earth Band, the traditional “Scarborough Fair” and “The Get The Sweetest Feeling” by Jackie Wilson.

Images and audio from walandjane YouTube channel.

Line up in 1974:

Eric Pembleton: Trumpet and band leader

Colin Cox: Trumpets
Ron Allen: Trumpets
Gordon Richards: Trumpets
Ian Richards: Trombone

Ken Hart: Sax
Dennis Halfpenny: Sax
Jim Lyons: Sax
Alan Marshall: Sax

Ken Saunders: Piano
Wally Savage: Piano, Organ
Bernie Gibbs: Guitar, Vocals
Norman Cox: Bass Guitar
Steve Cox: Drums

Andy Bingham joined the band in the late seventies and recalls his involvement.

“I started playing in the Eric Pembleton Band at the Festival in the late 1970s. at that time the Big Band played for ballroom dancing on Saturday Nights and the smaller ‘pop’ band played on Thursday and Friday nights.
The members of the band at that time were:
Saxophones: Ken Hart, Dennis Halfpenny, Jim Lyons, Alan Marshall.
Trumpets: Colin Cox, Bill Marriot, Alan Booth, Ron Allen.
Trombones: Ian Richards, Howard Smith, Andy Bingham, Mick Chilton.
Piano: Bob Hudson.
Bass: Norman Cox.
Guitar: Bernie Gibbs.
Drums: Steve Cox”.

In the early 1980’s Eric retired and Colin Cox took over as band leader.

1933

1940’s

After the second world war Eric Pembleton, who had been to Granby Boys School in Ilkeston, put together a band and started playing in his local area of Ripley and Codnor, Derbyshire.

1950

1951

1956

In 1956 The Festival Inn was opened in Trowell and would become synonymous with the Eric Pembleton Big Band. In 1951 the “Festival of Britain” the Nottinghamshire village of Trowell was designated as the country’s official Festival Village displaying typical aspects of English rural life.

In the book “A History of Trowell” by Alan J Cook (1995) there is a section on the Festival village. It says the village was chosen from 1,600 other villages around the country to appear in the Festival of Britain Souvenir Programme as being representative of and English rural community – and one which lies within a few miles of the exact centre of England. The local Rector at the time also felt it had been chosen as it represented the type of English village where the old rural life was passing away and where an industrial community was being superimposed.

Following Trowell’s selection questions were asked in Parliament. Labour MP Tom Driberg asked “Why Trowell?” to which Herbert Morrison (Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works) said the object was to encourage places which were not conventionally beautiful to seize the opportunity of Festival year to “have a go” at improving their amenities. “Trowell has been chosen as a village whose efforts to produce a worthy contribution to the Festival typified the spirit of such endeavour”.

Lacking one of the basic amenities of village life, namely a public house, Harry W. Moult , a building contractor of Stapleford decided to open an establishment to rectify the situation and to befit Trowell’s position as the archetypal English village despite the nearby Stanton Ironworks which were the epitome of modern industrial Britain. It was built on the site of the old “Church Farm” farmhouse and old wooden beams were incorporated into the new establishment. A brewery failed to get a licence to sell alcohol but Harry Moult managed to acquire one after a couple of attempts. Along with his cousin Cecil Moult and his daughter Evelyn Moult they formed themselves into the “Festival Inn (Trowell) Ltd” company. With a Tudor-Room setting, Inglenook fireplace and beam ceiling it had the feeling of old England. It was opened in March and the first landlord was Trevor. H. Rodway with his wife Margaret who had both previously worked at the Coach and Horses on Parliament Street in Nottingham. The beers were supplied by Shipstones and Hardy’s. Plans were made to add a ballroom and dining room. It was an instant success and when the ballroom was opened Eric Pembleton and his band became the regular house band for a couple of decades.

1958

More coming later …….