The Bamber Bridge Bandstand
(The World’s smallest bandstand – probably okay for a busker…)
On many occasions, leaving Walton le Dale heading eastward, I have pondered this construction. It seems to be in a slightly odd location. No, no, I don’t mean Bamber Bridge, the structure itself. I just would have thought it better in a park or something.
On further investigation, it appears to be the dome off the top of a tower on School Lane Mill. This was a former textile mill belonging to A. S. Orr and Co Ltd and situated at School Lane, Bamber Bridge, which was purchased by the CLDC. It was decided to demolish the original mill building but to refurbish the other buildings as self contained units. A start was made on the project in November 1981, but the original plans were spoiled by a fire on site in January 1982.
There doesn’t seem to be anything near the dome on School Lane explaining the dome, but I may have missed it. It’s just a guess, but it seems likely that some very helpful youth(s) decided to destroy it along the way. Although, it’s been there a while, so maybe it was just natural decay. It does seem probably that there was some form of information board or plaque with it at one point.
I cannot find any pictures of Orr’s Mill. However, I have included a picture of Wesley Street Mill, which had a similar dome. Wesley Street Mill is identified as Bamber Bridge Spinning Mill on this Sepia Postcard RP-PPC from the Preston Digital Archive:
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This James Orr & Sons LIMITED Cotton Manufacturers poster, for BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION at WEMBLEY, shows a small picture of the Walton le Dale Mills.
