About Us

The band was formed in 1904 and started it's life in a tin-roofed hut on Arthur Street, in the Currock area of Carlisle. The noise of the rehearsals was not appreciated by the local residents, who threw stones on the roof to express their displeasure. Eventually the vicar of St.Stephen's parish church came to the rescue, offering rehearsal space in exchange for the band's services each month in church.

The band grew from there, and reformed after the First World War. By the mid 1920's, under the baton of William Lowes, the band had become one of the most respected names in British brass banding, winning the Crystal Palace Grand Shield in 1925, and then subsequently winning the World Championships in 1927 and 1929, and also obtaining a 2nd place in 1926 and 3rd in 1928.

We have kindly been provided with some old 78rpm gramophone records that were made by the band during this era. We have attempted to remove as much of the inevitable noise as possible so that the quality of their music can be discerned without too much distraction. You can listen to them by clicking on the gramophone links below.

Format: MP3 Size: 2.22MB Duration: 2'22" Title: Exile March

Format: MP3 Size: 2.28MB Duration: 2'30" Title: Toreador March

Format: MP3 Size: 9.52MB Duration: 10'21" Title: The White Rider

William Lowes was the band's musical director from 1911 until his death in 1955.

The band is not actively contesting at present. We last competed in the 3rd Section of the National Brass Band Area Championships Competition in March 2007.

Band Practice

Band practice is on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30 pm, at St.Herbert with St.Stephen's Church, Blackwell Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 4RA.

Google StreetMap Location

Please contact the band secretary if you would like to attend.