Linthwaite Brass Band
Welcome to the Linthwaite Band!
We are a 4th section brass band based in Linthwaite, Huddersfield. Formed in 1852, we are one of the oldest brass bands in the country. Since its formation, Linthwaite has been a family band, and remains so to this day. We are a band full of character and always have plenty of stories to share.
We rehearse every Wednesday 8:00pm until 10:00pm at Broad Oak Bowling Club, with many members of the band staying behind in the bar afterwards. If you fancy coming down for a blow, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Please check out our vacancies page for more information.
History
The Linthwaite band was formed in 1852, making it one of the oldest brass bands in the country, and it hasn’t stopped playing since!
The band was formed in Upper Clough, Linthwaite by the Baxters, Mellors, Swifts, and Haighs. Mr Henry Swift was appointed as the first leader and bandmaster.
The band’s first known engagement was on 08 April 1854 when the Huddersfield Chronicle reported ‘the noted “Linthwaite Brass Band” visited the village of Netherton, which they enlivened with their martial strains.’ The band leader was Joesph Armitage, and the band comprised 20 players.
In 1853, a ten-year-old local boy named Edwin Swift joined the band. In 1855, he became the solo cornet player and the conductor. Edwin Swift went on to become one of the celebrated Victorian Triumvirate of brass bands. Along with John Gladney and Alexander Owen, Swift established the foundations of brass banding as we know it today. Swift continued his association with the band until his death in 1904.
The Linthwaite Band has many successes under Swift and quickly became one of the leading bands in the country, on par with bands such as Black Dyke. The band’s first contest was at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1868. It was unsuccessful but went on to win 16 prizes there between 1869 and 1891, including first prize in 1874.
In 1877, the band competed in and won a contest in Edinburgh. The prize was £60 which at the time was the biggest cash prize ever to have been awarded at a contest.
In September 1906, the band played at the National Brass Band Championships held at the Crystal Palace. It competed in the Championship Section for 1,000 Guinea Trophy and came second. The band was subsequently disqualified, a decision it appealed, eventually taking the organisers to court. The case was lost and Linthwaite became the first and only band to have been disqualified from the National Championships. The reason for disqualification? Allowing its band members to play with other bands!
One of the strangest engagements of the band may have been in 1912. According to legend, at the Topping Out ceremony for one of the local mills in Linthwaite, some of the band members were hoisted to the top of the mill chimney and performed a short concert on a wooden stage constructed across the top.
The band waned in the early part of the twentieth century and very nearly disbanded during World War Two. It was saved by Jim Wagstaff who found the instruments, cleaned them up and distributed them to a group of young lads. With no band room at the time, Jim held rehearsals in his own living room.
By the 1950s, the band had improved and appointed John W Morley (always Mr Morley) as conductor and Alfred Ashpole as professional conductor. During the next twenty years, the band competed in the National Finals five times, and in 1971 came just one point behind the winners of the Grand Shield! According to a band member who played on the day, the contest was lost at the start of the last movement when ‘the cornets set off, [they] were really going for it!’
Following struggles in the late 1970s and mid-2010s, the band is now in the Fourth Section. In 2020, the band were the Yorkshire Area Champions for the Fourth Section and attended the National Finals in Cheltenham the following year. With nearly all seats filled, The Linthwaite Band is still fighting fit almost 175 years later!
Historical Results
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Contact
For further information on Linthwaite Brass Band or to book the band for an engagement, please fill in the contact form below:
Or come and see us between 8pm and 10pm on Wednesdays at:
Broad Oak Bowling Club
74 Hazel Grove
Linthwaite
Huddersfield
HD7 5TG
Vacancies
We are currently looking for:
If you, or someone you know, is interested, please contact us!Instruments can be provided if necessary.
Post Horn
The Post Horn is the band’s monthly newsletter.It includes what the band has been up to – such as contests, concerts and day trips – as well as photographs and an up-to-date list of all upcoming jobs.
We also have a ‘Rummage in the Archives’ tracking the band through history.If you would like to join our mailing list, or have anything you would like to share, please send an email to: linthwaiteposthorn@gmail.com