When you picture a town steeped in history, with cobbled streets and old buildings dotted all around, one type of music is likely to come to mind: brass band music. For most people, the sound of a traditional brass band conjures up images of Victorian mills or 20th-century miners; however, few would associate it with the modern-day town of Wigan.
Nevertheless, like many other towns across Lancashire and Yorkshire, Wigan has a long history of brass bands. Today there are several bands based in and around the town which rehearse regularly and perform at events throughout the year. Let’s take a closer look at some of the past and present brass bands from Wigan!
The Wigan Borough Police Band
The Wigan Borough Police Band was formed in 1882 and is therefore one of the older bands in the area. It is the only band in the area that is still based in its original premises: the bandroom in Wigan Police Station.
The band was originally formed by the Chief Constable of the Borough at the time who was a keen fan of brass bands.
The first record of the band playing was at the annual Wigan Borough Police Sports Day in July 1882, where the band played three pieces. This was to be the first of many annual events that the band would go on to play at, including the Wigan Floral Fete and the Annual Wigan and District Miners’ Sports.
The Wigan Borough Police Band is one of the most successful bands in the area, having won the Wigan Borough Council’s Annual Brass Band Contest, which is now known as the Wigan Concert, on an incredible thirteen occasions. They have also won the event almost every year since 2013, which makes them the current reigning champion. Their most recent win was in 2018, when they received an overall mark of 91/100. The band also won the Lancashire Police Authority’s Annual Challenge Concert in 1982, 1984, 1993 and 1996.
The band has had several famous members, including Cyril Fletcher, who was a British broadcaster and entertainer from Wigan and who was also a band member from 1968 to 1974. Other famous band members include James Salmon, who went on to become an international singer and Matt Houston, who was an award-winning broadcaster.
The Wigan Town Band
The Wigan Town Band was formed in 1881 and was initially known as the Wigan Amateur Brass Band. The band played a regular programme of concerts and contests, as well as taking part in carnivals and in the late 19th century, the band travelled to London to play at the Royal Albert Hall.
The first venue in which the band played was the Wigan Corn Exchange, which is now known as the Wigan Central Library. The band also frequently played at the Wigan Town Hall and has been based there since the building was first built in 1901. They have won several awards over the years, including the Brass in Concert Major Prize in 1993, which was awarded to the best band at the annual brass band contest held in the Royal Albert Hall. The band has also made a number of recordings over the years.
In recent years, the Wigan Town Band has been very active, playing at a variety of events including the annual Wigan Carnival, the Wigan Festival, the Wigan Good Food Show and the Wigan Races. The band has also gone on tour to a number of different venues around the world, including Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the Caribbean, Cyprus, Malta and across Europe.
Famous former members of the band include George Formby, who was a band member from 1933 to 1934 before going on to become one of Britain’s most famous comedians and entertainers. Another former member of the band was the playwright and novelist Arnold Ridley, who joined the band in 1931 and stayed with it until 1932.
The Wigan Excelsior Band
The Wigan Excelsior Band was formed in 1887 by the headmaster of Wigan Board School. The band was originally named the Wigan Board School Band and was formed for the benefit of the children studying at the school.However it was renamed the Wigan Excelsior Band in 1910 following a change in leadership. The band is based in the Wigan Central Library, although its original home was the Wigan Corn Exchange before it moved to its current location.
The band has performed at a number of different venues and events over the years, including the Wigan Floral Fete and the Wigan Flower Show. It has a long and successful history, having won the Brass in Concert Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on two occasions in their early years. The band has also won the Lancashire and Cheshire Band Association’s Annual Contest on three occasions and has been runner-up at the Wigan Band Contest on three occasions.
More recently, the band has performed at a number of events, including the Wigan Carnival, the Wigan Festival and the Wigan Flower Show.
The band is also very active in the local community, visiting schools and care homes to put on live music performances for residents. Famous former members of the band include Sir Charles Clegg, who was a band member from 1957 to 1958 before going on to become a successful actor and broadcaster.
The Wigan Co-operative Society Band
The Wigan Co-operative Society Band was formed in 1901 by a group of employees at the Wigan Co-operative Society’s head office. The band was originally formed as part of an employee welfare programme that also included sports teams and a choir.
The band first performed at the annual Wigan Co-op Employees Sports Day, which was held in the Orrell Road Playing Fields and went on to perform at other events around the town, including the Wigan Floral Fete and the Wigan Carnival.
The band has won a number of awards over the years, including the Wigan Co-op Employees Sports Day Challenge Shield in 1902 and the Wigan Borough Council’s Annual Brass Band Contest prize in 1907, 1908 and 1911. The band has also taken part in a number of special events over the years, including the Wigan Remembrance Day Parade and the Wigan Royal Air Force Day.
The Wigan Railway Institute Band
The Wigan Railway Institute Band was formed in 1898, and was initially known as the Wigan Central Railway Institute Band. The band was originally formed by a group of railway workers at the Wigan Central Railway Institute, and was later re-established with support from the Wigan Borough Council. The Wigan Railway Institute Band was one of the first brass bands in Wigan, formed in 1898.
The Railway Institute Band continued to rehearse in the same building throughout the First and Second World Wars, but it disbanded in the early 1940s due to a decline in membership. The band was subsequently re-formed in the 1950s, and it continues to rehearse regularly in Wigan to this day.
The Wenderwick
The Wenderwick was a brass band that operated in Wigan between 1878 and 1918. The band was established by a group of young men who met together at the Wenderwick Public House on Wigan Road. The Wenderwick Band was particularly well known and they played a wide repertoire of music, including classical compositions such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Strauss’s "Blue Danube Waltz" alongside popular pieces such as "Shenandoah" and "Garryowen"
The band was disbanded in 1918 following the death of its conductor.