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Beckton District Park

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Activity

Beckton District Park, Newham

Music in the park

Many parks had a bandstand. Think about why there would be bandstands in parks and why they would be important to people. Make a list of your answers.


Band and bandstand, Central Park, Newham c.1900	V. J. Day celebration Pymmes Park, Enfield


Sitting in the park, Plumstead Common Greenwich	Bandstand, Balaam Street Park Plaistow, Newham

Some modern parks still have bandstands, though many have been destroyed.

To find out why they were removed in the second world war see the activity 'De-railed!'.

Bandstand
Greenwich Park, 2004

Modern Bandstands and park events

	Do you think bandstands are important to keep when we have television, radio, and films?
	Does your local park have a bandstand? What is it used for?
	Look in newspapers and magazines to find out what events are being held in parks. Some parks hold 'Party in the Park' concerts in the summer.

Sounds in the park

Visit the park and find somewhere where you can stand still with your eyes shut.

What do you hear?

1. Make a list of the man-made and natural sounds you can identify. Make a note if the sounds are distant or close to you.

2. Imagine you were standing there

a. 50 years ago
b. 100 years ago

Write down what you think you would have heard. How does this differ to what you hear today?

Listen to some brass band recordings to see the kind of music you might have heard in the park. As a group compose some music to play in the park today – you could visit the park to perform it. If there’s a bandstand, you could play it there!

You might also like to try the activity for Plumstead Common.

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