Watch: video reveals story behind rebuilding of Leamington's historic bandstand

A new video produced by a Leamington content marketing agency reveals the fascinating story behind the rebuilding of the town’s historic bandstand.
The plans for the refurbishment of the Leamington bandstand. Image courtesy of Sonder.The plans for the refurbishment of the Leamington bandstand. Image courtesy of Sonder.
The plans for the refurbishment of the Leamington bandstand. Image courtesy of Sonder.

The video (attached) gives the first glimpses of what the Victorian bandstand - which stood in the Pump Room Gardens for 132-years before it was taken away to be refurbished last year - looked like just before its return to the park and shows the artisan work that has gone into repairing and replacing some of the badly damaged parts.

Albert Crowhurst, one of the first to assess the bandstand after it was dismantled, is part of a small team of restorers who have worked on returning the 1876-built landmark to its original glory.

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“We’ve had them bad but that was extremely bad,” said the workshop operative at Wigan-based Lost Art, one of the last companies in the country specialising in this kind of restoration work.

The plans for the refurbishment of the Leamington bandstand. Image courtesy of Sonder.The plans for the refurbishment of the Leamington bandstand. Image courtesy of Sonder.
The plans for the refurbishment of the Leamington bandstand. Image courtesy of Sonder.

The video, titled Rediscovering a Lost Art, turns the spotlight on the people and processes involved in the bandstand’s revival and the team’s hopes for its future.

Justine Ragany, MadebySonder’s content director, said: “The bandstand is one of the town’s main landmarks and a focal point for community events.

“We’re located a few hundred yards away so we really wanted to do something to show the work that’s gone into making it great again.”

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The agency donated their video and content generation skills free of charge, spending time with the Lost Art founder Dominic Liptrot and his team at their Lancashire foundry and workshop.

Justine added: “There are only a few people left in the country who can do this kind of work so it was important for Leamington as a town and the nation as a whole to capture it on film and for us to support such a fantastic community project.”

It is hoped the video will be shown at a special launch event scheduled for March 15 and will also be shown in school lessons highlighting the history of the town.

The £1.4 million restoration of the bandstand and Pump Room Gardens has been financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Friends of the Pump Room Gardens and Warwick District Council.

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Warwick District Council’s portfolio holder for neighbourhood services, Cllr Moira-Ann Grainger said: “The restoration of the original Pump Room Gardens bandstand is an important part of the history of Leamington Spa.

“We are very grateful to MadebySonder for capturing the story of its careful and intricate rejuvenation on a video which can be shared and enjoyed for generations to come.”

At their peak, there were 1,200 bandstands in Britain - now only 500 remain.

Around 110 bandstands are now being saved and restored thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

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The Pump Rooms gardens were originally enclosed for the exclusive use of the patrons of the Pump Room “to afford them pleasant promenades”.

The gardens became open to the public in 1875 and the bandstand was installed as a result of this.