Last week, works on site started at the Grade II listed Croydon Road Recreational Ground bandstand – infamously known as the Bowie Bandstand. On the 13th of July, members involved came together to celebrate the commencement and launch of the restoration of the Bandstand.
b&m has worked on a number of heritage projects. The Bandstand is one that we’re incredibly proud to be a part of due to its significance within the community.
Built in 1906, the bandstand is the last surviving example built by the Victorian Glasgow foundry. It is rumoured to be the where David Bowie sat and wrote his widely admired song, Life on Mars in 1971. Since then, many festivals and concerts have been performed on the bandstand and the surrounding recreation ground. One of them being the annual Free Festival, which was originally organised by Bowie in 1969 with aims to bring his local community together to enjoy music.
The space is communal, giving the community an area to gather, celebrate and host festivities. It is of great importance to restore the bandstand and give it life after years of tarnish.
Works include overall structural restoration including extensive metal and ironwork replacement and a new roof. The immediate surrounds will also be worked on including external paving and landscaping works. The bandstand is aimed to be completed by December of 2023.
The recent start onsite is a massive milestone for b&m and all those involved. Being mostly council funded, obtaining further funding to commence the work has been a challenge. Fund raising activities took place in order to push the restoration forward, including help from the Friends of Croydon Recreation Ground. Although efforts were successful, at many points, patience played a huge part in the progress of this project.
We’re acting as Contract Administrator, Quantity Surveyor and Principal Designer on this scheme. We’re working alongside Idverde, Purcell Architects, The Morton Partnership and AF Starr Ltd (Contractor) for the Bromley Council to bring the bandstand back to life.
Elliott Cobb-Webb, one of our Senior Project Surveyor’s is working on Croydon Road Recreation Ground Bandstand. Having great understanding of the benefit of the restoration for the community, Elliott has enjoyed being a part of this project. He has worked with an incredible team along the way and has thoroughly enjoyed giving our client a greater understanding of procurement. Bromley’s tender requirements have been interesting to work through. Being a Bowie fan himself, Elliott holds personal sentiment towards this project. b&m looks forward to seeing the restoration in its full glory, from a not so straight forward start, all the way to completion.
“The Bandstand in Bromley will stand proudly as a testament to our perseverance and determination.” – Elliott Cobb-Webb
