This Was Thee Place To Go.

A Memory of Buxton.

Cavendish Grammar had their speech day there one year. Wells Dressing events were held there too.
Tea dances. Satrurday night dances. During the war years and afterwards the Pavillion Gardens Concert Hall was tops for getting in the big bands. Dancing to the tune of the big bands what a wonderful memory. To name a few:
Ivy Benson and her all girls band. Joe Loss. The Squadronaires. Oscar Rabin. Johnny Clay and his Clay Pigeons. Victor Sylvester, Geraldo, Carl Barriteau and then the biggest band of them all Ted Heath. Davidson for the old time dance enthusiasts. I might have missed some names or even got the spelling of their names wrong but those were the days for the dancing minded people and youngsters of Buxton.
There was our local band. Jimmy Munro or was it Monroe. My memory just fails me on that. His base player became quite famous and played I am pretty sure with Humphery Middleton. Given time I am sure I will remember. Ah how about Brocklehurst?
Blood another name comes to mind, wasn't he the singer of the band? Marshall played clarinet or was it trombone? There was an Orgill too if I remember correctly. Memory gets "muxed ip" sometimes ha ha.
Search engines tell me nothing. I hope there is someone out there who can share something about this subject with me and everyone else who enjoyed those years when dancing was the big thing for the youngsters of Buxton town. .
Oh, and we did roller skate there, the pillars quite a hazzard ha ha. Roller skating, that wasn't considered good for that great dance floor. Hire the skates at the Playhouse entrance.
Brass Bands. I am pretty sure the Fairey Aviation Band was one I enjoyed performing there.
Happy memories from an expat living in Queensland, Australia.


Added 05 April 2012

#235849

Comments & Feedback

I remember it so well, Saturday dances were wonderful, I saw Ted Heath, Johnny Dankworth Geraldo, to name but 3 and was thrown off the dance floor for jiving (partner throwing me over his shoulder) on at least 2 occasions!.. My elder sister still remembers going to tea dances in the 40s/50s (she's 92 yrs old now) If anyone has any pics of the dance hall during the years 45 - 50 ish, I'd love to see them.

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