Having led the town in a successful battle to prevent the derelict Swanage bandstand from being torn down and then raising more than £150,000 to rebuild it, Alan Houghton and the charity he set up, are stepping aside.
The final £16,000 left in the coffers of the Friends of Swanage Bandstand has been transferred to Swanage Town Council, which will look after its upkeep in the future, with the replacement of damaged coping stones and a repaint already planned.
Alan Houghton with the new noticeboard which will list all the bandstand performances
Guest bands to visit Swanage
With the Swanage Bandstand’s new noticeboard now in place on the recreation ground, which will publicise the full list of concerts for the season, it is hoped that the facility will be better used than ever.
Swanage Town Band and Wareham Town Band will be playing a dozen afternoon and evening concerts from May through to the end of August 2025, with guest bands coming in from towns including Dorchester, Lyme Regis, Devizes and Lymington.
With an open invitation for bands and choirs to book spots at the bandstand, more dates are being added all the time, such as the Three Rock Choirs which performed concerts in Swanage on several dates in March 2025.
At its lowest ebb – the bandstand without its roof in 2017
But on Saturday 26th October 2019, the bandstand was reopened, along with its new roof, despite the rain!
“It was like a red rag to a bull”
Alan Houghton said:
“We are just winding up the charity accounts now and as soon as that is done the Friends of Swanage Bandstand will disband because we have achieved what we set out to do, which was to get the bandstand back for the town.
“I was determined that we weren’t going to lose it because it was part of the heritage of Swanage – it was like a red rag to a bull to me when they said they were pulling it down.
“But the town rallied round in a wonderful way and I feel so proud of what we have done. We have 16 damaged coping stones being replaced and the bandstand is about due for a repaint, but we have a lot of bands booked for the season so it might have to wait a while.
“We now have an events board that we paid for to tell everyone what is going on, and Swanage Town Council has also agreed to put our events up on their website as well so that everyone can easily find out what is happening there.”
Six benches with grandstand views have been dedicated to sponsors who supported the project from day one
Delighted at the end result
The bandstand bank account has been closed, with just over £16,000 being transferred to the town council to be held in an earmarked reserve for future bandstand maintenance and improvements.
The charity itself, set up for the restoration of the bandstand, is also being closed after eight years, with the committee delighted at the end result.
With seating on both levels completed to the committee’s satisfaction and six new benches installed, paid for and dedicated to sponsors who supported the project from the first day, Alan Houghton said he could not have dreamt of a better outcome.
He has passed on sincere thanks to the committee of Roger Brewster, Peter Wakefield, Jill Henstridge, Amanda Jenson, Chris Makin, Richard Cook, and Rob Sutton, and to the town council, Swanage Information Centre, local businesses and above all, to the people of Swanage.
The Three Rock Choir who made guest appearances at the bandstand in March 2025
“Well done, Swanage, you can be proud”
Alan Houghton said:
“Well done, Swanage, you can be proud. People say that I am Mr Bandstand, but this project was too big to have been done by one person – I managed to get likeminded people to put money in, the same as I did, and off we went.
“I have always been so focussed on making sure we got our town bandstand back, I pledged that right from the start and we have done it, together, against the odds. It looks great, it is well supported and we have a future with it, which is wonderful.
“I do especially want to thank Karen Grant, because she donated so much of her energy and time to organise fund raising concerts at the bandstand and even when some had to be cancelled due to bad weather, she only ever redoubled her efforts.
“Bands like Allsort’d, Kelp, Harmony Rocks, Wareham Whalers, and many others all came here and played a part in getting our bandstand back.
“Lawrie Sandford spent a massive amount of time recording our campaign and taking a wonderful collection of photos, Andrew Cannon made time for raising funds – there are literally too many people to mention, but we’ve appreciated you all and we couldn’t have done it without you.”
Alan Houghton and the Friends of Swanage Bandstand have passed on responsibility – and funds – to Swanage Town Council
One of the jewels in the crown
Work began on the original Swanage bandstand in early 1923 after young soldiers who had returned home from World War One found themselves unemployed – so ‘for the benefit of their mental health’ they were put to work digging out the amphitheatre in which the bandstand sits.
They also built the surrounding walls and the two-tier seating area out of local Purbeck stone, with the bandstand itself built by Glasgow company Walter MacFarlane, the leading manufacturers of the cast iron ‘parkitecture’ movement of the 1920s.
It was one of the jewels in the crown for Swanage over many decades and even featured in tourist posters for the town, being given the same prominence in advertising as the steam railway, the sandy bay, paddle steamers and Punch and Judy on the beach.
But during bitter storms in the winter of 2011 to 2012, the roof of the bandstand suffered severe damage and during subsequent inspections was found to contain asbestos and had to be taken down.
When Swanage Town Council announced that it was to dismantle what was left of the bandstand and fill in the amphitheatre, a packed local meeting of more than 200 people began the campaign for its restoration and the Friends of Swanage Bandstand was formed.
On Saturday 26th October 2019 on a very wet morning, the Swanage bandstand was officially reopened and while the Covid pandemic initially curtailed many performances, it has since become a popular place to meet up and listen to music.
Summer concerts at the bandstand draw big crowds – and there will be more events than ever in 2025
Summer concert dates 2025
May
- Wednesday 21st at 7 pm: Swanage Town Band
June
- Sunday 1st at 2.15 pm: Durnovaria Silver Band
- Saturday 7th at 2.30 pm: Swanage Town Band
- Sunday 8th at 2 pm: Devizes Town Band
- Saturday 14th at 2 pm: Bourne Concert Band
- Sunday 15th at 2 pm: Michelmersh Silver Band
- Wednesday 18th at 7 pm: Swanage Town Band
- Sunday 22nd at 2 pm: Lyme Regis Town Band
- Sunday 29th at 1 pm: Lymington Town Band
July
- Saturday 5th at 2.30pm: Swanage Town Band
- Sunday 6th at 2 pm: Wareham Town Band
- Wednesday 16th at 7 pm: Swanage Town Band
- Sunday 20th at 2 pm: Wareham Town Band
- Wednesday 30th at 7 pm: Swanage Town Band
August
- Saturday 9th at 2.30 pm: Swanage Town Band
- Sunday 17th at 2 pm: Wareham Town Band
- Wednesday 20th at 7 pm: Swanage Town Band
- Sunday 31st at 2 pm: Wareham Town Band
Christmas Carols at the bandstand have been scheduled for Wednesday 10th December 2025 at 6.30 pm
Watch the reopening of the bandstand in 2019
Further information
- Swanage Bandstand is available to book for concerts by bands and choirs, and can also be used for other events – inquiries should be made through Swanage Information Centre
