Marching Band

From the Belper Historical Society Collection

From the 1920s until the end of the 20^th century, annual carnivals were held in or near Belper, often attracting numerous marching bands who would compete on the field. This scene at the bottom of King Street sees a band heading towards the carnival field on the Meadows by the river.

Also featured are, from left to right:

• The Rose and Crown Public House, after its rebuild between the wars. It is now Boots the Chemist.
• The Palace Cinema of 1912, one of the earliest businesses in the town to have electrical lighting, thanks to a generator in the back yard – it was demolished for the creation of Belper’s first supermarket, Fine Fare, in 1963.
• Woolworths arrived after the Second World War, and was a popular addition to the high street until the company went into receivership in 2008. It is now Iceland.
• The Leslie’s Café building dates back to about 1890 and had been at different times a photographer’s studio and shoe shop. It is fondly remembered for its comforting frothy Horlicks or a milk shake after a trip to the dentist on Chapel Street. The high red plastic stools by the counter were popular with children. It closed in the 1980s and was redeveloped in 2000.