Nostalgia by Alison Bailey and Caroline Perkins

ANYONE driving down Rectory Hill in Amersham will have seen that Amersham Band is making good progress on their plans to build a new bandroom on vacant land adjacent to the doctors’ surgery. Construction of the single storey building has now started.

The wonderfully named Amersham Sons of Temperance Band was founded by George Ward, Amersham’s photographer, in 1890 although the Bucks press mentioned an Amersham band as early as 1845.

Within two years, although it was rumoured to be only a matter of weeks, the connection with temperance was severed and the band became known as the Amersham Town Band. Doubtless this was because continuous playing of some of the large brass instruments can generate a mighty thirst!

The band flourished during the following twenty years, winning several prizes as well as playing at many events and functions in Amersham and surrounding districts.

The outbreak of WWI brought band activity to a halt when some members were called up to fight and there was insufficient enthusiasm to re-start the band afterwards. However, in 1928 it was eventually re-formed, under the musical direction of Herbert Fountain, an employee of George Ward and early member of the pre-war band.

The new band continued as before, playing at local events and functions. The highlight was playing at Shardeloes on Christmas Eve, then being invited in by Squire Drake for Yuletide festivities.

A day to remember was the celebration of King George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935, for which each member was issued with a peaked cap and a splendid braided uniform, tailor made at a cost of 25 shillings.

There was a parade on the day and later the band led a torchlight procession. At that time the band owned its own practice hut, which the landlord of The Swan allowed them to put up in his orchard for a peppercorn rent.

It took another world war to halt the band’s activities once more, and again there was no interest to re-start the band after the cessation of hostilities.

The hut and instruments were sold to pay off debts.

In 1976 at a Town Council meeting it was suggested that the band should be re-formed. There were no instruments and no money. Nevertheless, dogged determination, local financial help and enthusiasm, particularly from the Mayor Jean Archer, saw the band re-form in 1977. The band developed steadily, competing in contests at the regional level and reached the finals of the National Brass Band championships at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time in 2000. It established a programme of summer concerts in the Memorial Gardens and regular visits to Amersham’s twin town, Bensheim.

At the end of November, the band is travelling there once again to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of twinning. In recent years the band has flourished, attracting new members and achieving increasing success with promotion to the Championship Section of the National Brass Band Championships, under Musical Director Paul Fisher, a professional trombonist.

The formation of a brand-new band, Amersham Concert Brass was recently announced adding to the existing three bands. Membership across all the bands today exceeds 100 players.

For more information about Amersham Band or to support their fundraising for the new bandroom visit amershamband.com. The book of George Ward photograph’s Amersham 100 years ago through the lens of George Ward is available at Amersham Museum.