Mexborough and Swinton Times, July 26, 1919

Mexborough Bandstand Burned Down.

On Saturday night the bandstand in the Mexborough Pleasure Ground became a burnt offering on the altar of Peace.

How it happened, no one knows, and it is the more difficult to trace the author of the crime because everybody seems anxious to have the credit of it. All sorts of people have been vehemently denied all knowledge of the affair, and at the same time of affecting a guilty look. Anyhow, about midnight the bands I was seen to burst into gentle glow.

The flames licked the wooden pillars, and as the erection became red-hot it had the aspect of a fairy illumination. The red tiles, we are told, looked very- pretty as they sank gently into the heap of debris. The neighbouring inhabitants in their astonishment and confusion, neglected to call out the Fire Brigade or even to summon Councillor T Allen, whose special province the Pleasure Ground and so nothing could be done to save a building which for fifteen years has been an infinite source of entertainment to the town, though a band has never been inside of it. If, as we hope, the bandstand was, heavily insured by the Council who had great pride in it the misfortune is not unmixed, and we may look to have the loss very handsomely made good the Late.

The late, lamented bandstand did not lack grace and dignity of design, it only lacked elbow-room, a deficiency which will not, we hope appear in its successor. If it was a failure as a bandstand, it was certainly successful, we are informed by the people who were lucky enough to be in at the death, as a Peace beacon.

It went down gallantly, like Nelson in the hour of the nation’s triumph.