Calstock is a civil parish and a large village in southeast Cornwall on the River Tamar 6 miles southwest of Tavistock and 10 miles north of Plymouth

 

 

Circa 1858: Calstock Brass Band active. (John Brush) Possibly its formation date.

1859: Calstock Band played at Gunnislake, possible its first engagement. (John Brush)

No reports found during this period so it is possible that Calstock Brass Band ceased and re-formed.

1883: Calstock Brass Band… (Cornish & Devon Post 15^th September 1883)

1887: Calstock Brass Band played at the Calstock celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee …” (John Brush)

1887: Calstock Good Templar Brass Band active – associated with the Queen of the Tamar Lodge of the I O G T. (John Brush)

1890: Calstock Temperance Brass Band active. (John Brush) Unclear if Calstock Brass Band became a temperance band or if this is a separate band. The confusion is likely to be down to careless repoting.

1890: Calstock Volunteers Band in attendance. (31 July 1890 – Royal Cornwall Gazette) Now we have the Volunteers!

1890: Calstock Temperance Brass Band, perambulated the streets. (14 August 1890 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)

1890: Calstock Brass Band started this year. (4 December 1890 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)

1891: Calstock Brass Band in a procession. (2 July 1891 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)

1894: Calstock Temperance Brass Band active. (John Brush)

1900: Calstock Fife and Drum Band and the Harrowbarrow Brass Band in attendance. (26 May 1900 – Cornish & Devon Post Launceston)

Calstock Town Band 1900 – “I think Alfred Preston may be the one sitting at the front with the dog”. (John Preston)

1901: Calstock Brass Band played. (Cornish & Devon Post 29^th June 1901)

1902: Alfred Preston, Calstock Brass Band. (John Brush)

1902: Calstock Brass Band, under the direction of Alfred Preston, at the Wesleyan Band of Hope Society annual festival. (Cornish & Devon Post 5^th April 1902)

1902: Harrowbarrow Band, followed by the Gunnislake and the Calstock Brass Bands… (16 August 1902 – Cornish & Devon Post, Launceston)

1908: Calstock Band, under Mr Preston, at the Societies’ Hospital annual sports. (Cornish & Devon Post 15^th August 1908)

1909: Calstock Band at the Calstock Rectory was very successful. (Western Morning News 2^nd June 1909)

1909: Calstock Temperance Band … (7 August 1909 – Cornish & Devon Post)

1910: Calstock Band at a garden party and sale of work. (Cornish & Devon Post 13^th August 1910)

Calstock Brass Band 1911 – “This photo of the band has my great grandfather, Alfred Preston, holding the clarinet back row centre and, I think, my grandfather, Hartley Preston, centre front row”. (John Preston)

1920 circa to 1925 circa: Robert Preston (Old Bob Preston) Calstock Brass Band MD, was seemingly looked on with great affection both by the band and the public. (John Brush)

1924: Calstock Band at Kelly College. (Western Morning News 26^th May 1924)

1926: Musical selections rendered Calstock Temperance Band. (Western Morning News 20^th August 1926)

????: Calstock Brass Band played at a wrestling match at Calstock – the last discovered mention when the band was led by S Preston, possibly the son of ‘Old Bob’. (John Brush)

Unknown closure date.

 

 

 

Compiled by Tony Mansell (Bardh Kernow)

 

This collection is a part of the Cornish National Music Archive (CNMA) project to Collect, Preserve and Share our Cornish Heritage and Culture.

It is based on location as each may have had more than one band.

Our thanks go to all of the organisations and individuals, whether named or not, who have provided information and photographs for this archive.

If you own the copyright to any of the photographs included here then please let us know and they will be credited or removed.

If you are able to correct or update any information included here then please leave a comment.