Memories of the Southend Cliffs 'wedding cake' bandstand

At one time, in the early 1900s, Southend boasted as many as six bandstands. Today, of course, there are none left on the seafront, although the bandstand in Priory Park continues to enthral audiences.

The most famous of all of the town’s bandstands was the ‘cakestand’ which was erected on the Cliffs in 1909.

Nicknamed due to its intricate tier-shape that resembled a Victorian wedding cake, it would not only be a place where dancing and music would be enjoyed but would act as a focal point where Southenders would arrange to meet, enjoy a secret tryst, or even the location for a protest march.

The first bandstand in the town appears to have been the bandstand on Southend Pier. Records show this was up and running as early as 1901.

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In 1902 at the top of the Cliffs near Prittlewell Square a wooden bandstand was erected at a cost of £425.

It proved to be extremely popular, but in 1909 this would be replaced with the famous wrought iron ‘cakestand’ - costing almost £1,000.

The original wooden bandstand was then taken down and relocated to the foot of the cliffs in Happy Valley.

On the day the cakestand enclosure opened in June of 1909, thousands of people came out to celebrate.

So much space - The Cliffs bandstand pictured circa 1950 - seven years before it was pulled down and demolished

The structure was described as ‘the finest bandstand in the kingdom’. It came at a hefty price though. The foundations were constructed out of natural Kent crag stone, while the finished enclosure was decorated with beds of flowering plants all around.

The band of the Royal Marines was the first to take to the deluxe new stage as the band’s musicians belted out the National Anthem.

Not everyone was in favour of ‘out with the old and in with the new’, however. Southend bigwig Alderman John Rumbelow Brightwell was not quiet in voicing his displeasure at the money being spent on the wrought iron structure. He believed the wooden bandstand was perfectly adequate.

“Some members of the council are not happy unless they are squandering ratepayers’ money,” he said in 1908.

He was to be out-voted however, and the project would get the go ahead as progressive councillors agreed for the need to erect a first class bandstand in the town.

Bands from all the country - and as far away as America - wanted to play at the bandstand so much that in 1912 the attraction was extended so that musicians could store their instruments underneath the structure overnight.

In the early 20th century there were also less grandiose bandstands scattered across the borough, including in Chalkwell Park, on East Parade and on The Leas. However, the Cliffs bandstand on the seafront proved to be the perfect spot for public gatherings and protests.

In August 1906 a procession of 100 unemployed workers from Southend marched to the bandstand. Waving banners and shouting slogans, the men marched around the bandstand twice before speeches were made.

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The group were protesting against Southend Council over what they perceived as lack of financial support for those out of work. Dozens of police officers were drafted in over concerns the protest could turn violent; however it remained totally peaceful.

Over the decades the Cliffs bandstand hosted the creme of bands and musicians. Crowds of spectators who would pay a minimal fee to sit on deckchairs and enjoy nightly concerts. After dark the structure acted as a beacon when it would be magnificently lit up and seen for miles around.

Such was its appeal that when council leaders in Great Yarmouth decided they wanted a bandstand for their resort in 1921, they came up with a bandstand that was inspired by Southend’s landmark.

The bandstand has space for 3,000 people in the main enclosure and space for thousands of others on the perimeter. In August of 1931 the receipts for deckchairs at the Southend bandstand for the Bank Holiday amounted to £778, by 1935 they were a colossal £l,118. Three years later they had gone up even more to £1,275.

The workers who put out the chairs and took the money worked hard for their salaries.

However, as was common at the time, the female attendants were paid less than the men, even though they did exactly the same job.

Records from the start of the 1946 season show that female bandstand deckchair workers and collectors were paid £3, 6 shillings a week. The men pocketed £4, 10 shillings for the same role.

James Hurry and Avril Fane were always the first to hit the floor at the Cliffs bandstand in 1948

By 1948 in the aftermath of the Second World War, the bandstand was still going strong. Every Saturday evening couples would gather at the Cliffs bandstand to dance the evening away- and always first on the floor was 82 year-old James Hurry.

The crowds looked forward to seeing Mr Hurry as he put his best foot forward to the live music- always partnered with the resident bandstand vocalist Avril Fane.

Mr Hurry, a retired funeral director and former mayor of West Ham who had retired to Southend, refused to take to the floor with any other partner. Miss Fane always complemented the pensioner on his dancing skills and the couple became an attraction for bandstand audiences in their own right.

Unfortunately the wedding cake bandstand was demolished in 1957. A less fancy version of it has stood in Priory Park, Southend, since 2008.

Although it is confined to the history books, old photos, films and records, can remind us of how the lure of the cake bandstand was once unrivalled in Southend.