Bandstand : Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham

I'm a big fan of bandstands (and there are various posts on here about those I've seen, for example Bandstands, July 2019; and Bandstands: Cardiff, August 2019), so I was delighted to spot this Victorian bandstand in Montpellier Gardens during my recent visit to Cheltenham. 

I was equally delighted to find that the history of the bandstand has been documented by the local history society, and a pdf of the original article, complete with excellent historic photographs, is available online ('Cheltenham's Bandstands' by Mike Kippin, Goucestershire History, no. 18, 2004, pp.11-16). Mike Kippin writes that

The present Montpellier bandstand was erected and first used in September 1864, which makes it the oldest bandstand in the British Isles that is still in use. There are two that are older; Birkenhead Park (1847) and Clapham Common (1861), but neither of these are used today. [Bear in mind that this was written in 2004 and may not now be accurate.]

Kippin also notes that 'The Coalbrookdale Company of Ironbridge made the wrought iron work' and that 'The base of the bandstand is quite deep and roomy and in Edwardian times the Cheltenham Archers who shot in the gardens used it as a store. During WWII it was home for the winch of a barrage balloon.'
 

In the early 1990s, the bandstand was in a state of disrepair and various suggestions were made – to move it, to convert it into a restaurant. Fortunately, the

Cheltenham Civic Society ... fortuitously stepped in and offered to organise its restoration. After a considerable amount of work, the late Sir Charles Irving M.P. officially reopened the bandstand on 20 August 1994.

The bandstand is still used for concerts during the summer months. It's just a shame I hadn't timed my visit to enjoy one!