22nd May 2006

Hook Norton Brass Band celebrates its 120th anniversary year

Hook Norton Brass Band celebrated its 120th anniversary year with concert at St Peter’s Church in Hook Norton. The band, which is now based in Banbury, has always had close links with the village of Hook Norton and the brewery. For its very first rehearsal was held at the Hook Norton Brewery.

In 1886 a group of railway workers constructing the Great Western Railway joined together with local villagers in Hook Norton to form the band. The very first rehearsals were held at the Hook Norton brewery because the founder member and first bandmaster was John Harris, who set up the brewery 150 years ago. The band flourished during the first part of the 20th century, but village bands generally declined after the Second World War, for fairly obvious reasons.

The Hook Norton band survived by moving to Banbury and attracting players from a wider area. The band was granted charitable status in 1999 and has a large stock of instruments so that nobody is stopped from playing by the lack of an instrument. “Although the band is based here in Banbury, we are proud of our very strong links with Hook Norton. The brewery is our main sponsor, and the current Managing Director, James Clarke, is our President as was his father and grandfather before him,” said a spokesman for the band.