Music festival taking place at landmark Stonehouse bandstand

Bandstand Beatz takes place on Saturday, May 10, and is organised by Friends of Stonehouse Park and Avondale Radio

Friends of Stonehouse Park members at the reopening of the historic bandstand after its major refurbishment(Image: Les Hoggan/Contributed/Hamilton Advertiser)

The historic Stonehouse bandstand will be filled with the sound of a range of music as it provides the spectacular stage for a community festival.

Friends of Stonehouse Park and Avondale Radio are teaming up to run the Bandstand Beatz event on Saturday, May 10, showcasing a host of talented local musicians – and with organisers saying “tickets are flying” for the free event.

It takes place at the century-old bandstand in the town’s Alexander Hamilton memorial park from 1pm to 7pm, during what is the park’s centenary year.

Organisers promise “a fantastic line-up of local talent [on] an afternoon packed full of performances from Ewan MacFarlane, Clay Rings, Ciaran Whyte, Pilgrims Society, Mairs Family Band, Megan Black, Ellijai, Broghan, Amy Louise and Ross Smith”.

Visitors are asked to try to reach the event on foot due to the limited parking for the Lawrie Street park, and can bring picnics or sample the Park Pizzas on offer.

Free tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bandstand-beatz-tickets-1302628389579

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The historic B-listed bandstand was renovated and brought back into use two years ago after a decade of work by the park’s volunteer Friends group to have it painstakingly restored, including successfully applying for £230,000 of grant funding.

A focal point of the park, it had fallen into disrepair in the 1980s and had not been used at all in more than 20 years due to its then-unsafe condition, before the major renovation including dismantling and reconstructing the main structure, restoring the roof and metalwork with a new support structure and rebuilding brick base walls.

It was originally built at Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow for the major 1911 Scottish exhibition of natural history, art and industry; and the bandstand was moved to Stonehouse to become a focal point in the new Alexander Hamilton park for its opening in May 1925.

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Now a second landmark project is underway at the Stonehouse park during its 100th year with the renovation of its other original structure, the Alexander Hamilton memorial fountain.

Workers are currently on site repairing and cleaning the fountain in a comprehensive £50,000 restoration funded by a grant to the Friends group from the renewable energy fund distributed by South Lanarkshire Council.

The project – which includes renewing the fountain’s railings, painting them to match the restored bandstand, rebuilding a brick wall and installing a new plaque – is due to be completed in time for the anniversary of the park being gifted to the people of Stonehouse by businessman and former local resident Alexander Hamilton on May 30, 1925.

Friends of Stonehouse Park committee member and local historian John Young previously told Lanarkshire Live: “This funding will allow us to retain a historic landmark which recognises the opening of the park, and enable us to bring the community together in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the park being opened.

“The bandstand restoration showed what we can do as a community if we put our minds to it – it was a massive community effort and looks incredible and it’s great to see it being used again.”

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