A venue for concerts and entertainment. From brass bands to rock and pop, children’s entertainment and a theatrical space, the bandstand has survived for over 80 years and is still in use today.

As a place I visited in my youth I was fortunate to see many early Nottingham rock groups play there including Orphan, Matarka, Autumn Design and Gaffa and although I have seen plenty of gigs at the Arboretum bandstand as well I offer a small plotted history of this unique venue by the banks of the river.

NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL

A small part of the Bandstand’s history is connected with the Nottingham Festival. Beginning in 1965 in Nottingham was the “Festival of the Arts” staged at the Playhouse. Over the next few years it expanded with the idea of it eventually becoming a Nottingham Festival. In 1970 the Council launched the first “Nottingham Festival”, a two week event, which continued in name every year to at least 1987 by which time part of the events listed was the Riverside Festival, a two day event originally, which, in name, started in 1984 at least.

Made a grade II listed building in 2010, the bandstand was built in 1937 for the coronation of George VI and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was not Queen Elizabeth II but, as we remember, the Queen Mother. Not the only bandstand in Nottingham, the Arboretum and the Castle grounds also housing these unique buildings, the Victoria Embankment bandstand was an addition to the already impressive Memorial Gardens, War Memorial, Playing Fields, Play Area with Paddling Pool set to the backdrop of the River Trent.

With various stages of building the original work on the Victoria Embankment started as early as May 1898 when Ald. Lambert drove in the first pile and performed the opening ceremony in 1901. This work, costing £58,409, was the construction of the steps by the river. By 1905 work was under the way to provide space for football and cricket grounds adjoining the Victoria Embankment.

In 1906, in a letter written to the Nottingham Evening Post, a correspondent complained of the lack of a bandstand for bands to use. Many thousands had been on the Embankment to hear the “Old Robin Hood Band” play with no protection from the rain.

In 1914 an exhibition known as the Universal Exhibition, Nottingham was organised on the Embankment and buildings were erected for the use of military and civilian bands to perform vocal and instrumental works. 40 acres of land fronting the Embankment was rented from Colonel Sir Hervey Bruce. This land was bought by Jesse Boot in 1920 costing £250,000 who donated it to Nottingham in a great act of philanthropy.

In 1927 another music lover wrote to the Evening Post questioning the lack of a bandstand on the Embankment and it took another ten years before his dream was fulfilled. A brick and concrete structure with Teak boards and with room for 1,200 to 1,500 chairs costing £2,500 was approved by Nottingham City Council and opened in 1937. Further building details at Historic England.

It was of particular use for Brass, Silver and Colliery bands, which as a genre, dated back in origin to the 19th Century, with their musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. From the late 1930’s and carrying on during the wartime years a range of bands took to the stage:

Nottingham Follies Concert Party
Some from Hurst Prize Band (from Manchester)
Clifton Colliery Prize Band
Ruddington Silver Band
The Broadcasters (Nottingham Concert Party)
The Hames Hague Accordion Band
Co-operative Society Silver band

and in the summer of 1949 Clown Lez entertained kids during the school holidays.

1960’s:

As the sixties dawned, new sounds were filling the air and almost like the Beatles alto ego “Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”, the bandstand would occasionally be used for a pop or rock group. Beat group the Straycats played there in 1964 alongside jazz band Les Devotees and Nottingham beat group “Our Young” played there in 1967. Bob Todd of Our Young “I do remember that gig. We was paid £20, which wasn’t bad really, given for us we were on the doorstep”.

By the end of the sixties concerts were becoming intermittent, the Ukrainian Youth Association giving a concert, but the council finding costs prohibitive suspended activities for a year.

1970’s and beyond

Following repairs to vandalism, the the early to mid seventies found the bandstand in use once more and it sometimes served as a focus for a summertime rock soirée with groups from the rock, blues and pop genres. As part of the Nottingham Festival a number of rock events took place on the Bandstand during the seventies and John Holmes, broadcaster on his Radio Nottingham “Extravaganza” programme was part of the organising team for these events. In 1970 a big rock event took place on the Embankment, not on the bandstand but in a marquee and featuring national acts like Atomic Rooster, Family and Taste.

NOTTINGHAM ROCK BANDS WHO PLAYED ON THE BANDSTAND IN THE SEVENTIES:
Colin Staples Band
To-Day
Phonograph
Barracuda
High Bread Mishap
Medicine Hat (later known as Pancho)
Riff
Dragonfly (from Doncaster I think)
Gaffa
Centauris
Down To Earth
Autumn Design
Ned Ludd
Terrapin
Cisco
Wheels
Matarka
Limelight
Orphan
Staple Diet featuring Colin Staples

1971

The first of the seventies rock concerts on the bandstand took place in 1971.

1972

Another Bandstand event in August 1972 saw Blues Rock groups take to the stage.

1973

In 1973, Gaffa played a gig on the Bandstand on Saturday June 23rd billed as a “pop group”.

1974

Four local groups played on the Bandstand in 1974 to celebrate the release of the “Nottingham Castle Rock” compilation album. The four groups were Autumn Design, Gaffa, Centauris and Down To Earth.

An autumn concert was also arranged in 1974 with Cisco, Terrapin, Ned Ludd and Heywood billed as “A Feast of Pop Stars”.

1975

Six local rock bands played on the Bandstand on June 14th 1975, Wheels, Gaffa, Matarka, Staple diet, Limelight and Orphan. Organised by Radio Nottingham broadcaster John Holmes, a poster and programme were made. John had been getting local groups into the studio to record a session and “I’d seen what could be done with the Nottingham Festival (1970-1973) and while recording sessions with these local groups It seemed logical to put them on live and the bandstand was an ideal location. It was all my own initiative but I did get the backing of Radio Nottingham. The council weren’t sure and we had to get the electrics checked out. There was only a couple of complaints about the loud music, mainly because the sound bounced off the river into West Bridgford but it was well attended and was a great success with Colin Staples ending a warm summers night with his blues”.

The following 4 photos are from Pete Flowers “Plough and Harrow” YouTube video.

In association with the Nottingham Festival and later the Riverside festival the bandstand has survived despite a few moments when its demise could have happened.

The Nottingham City Council had considered demolishing the bandstand but the art deco building was granted Grade II listed status by English Heritage in 2010 after a campaign by local resident Jonathan Hughes. It continues to provide a venue and a performance by the Nottingham Shakespeare Company was staged in 2023.

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Some newspaper cuttings referencing the bandstand or the Victoria Embankment area

The Riverside Festival appeared around 1984 still part of the overall “Nottingham Festival” as the paper cutting below suggests. It was from an Evening Post supplement for the two weeks of Nottingham Festival events.