The Queen Alexandra Bandstand - Sturt Street, Ballarat
Built in 1908 during the Edwardian heyday of the band movement before the Great War, the Queen Alexandra Bandstand is a beautiful and well maintained example of creative bandstand design. It was named after the then British Queen, wife of Edward VII.
Erected in the central median strip of Ballarat’s premier boulevard, Sturt Street between Doveton and Mair Streets, the Queen Alexandra Bandstand is surrounded by leafy oak trees and other deciduous European exotic trees. It is the second bandstand along Sturt Street, the other being the Titanic Memorial Bandstand. The Queen Alexandra bandstand is built in a polygonal form surmounted by a Moorish or Russian influenced onion dome. The bandstand has particularly fine wrought iron detailing incorporating musical motifs, including harps, horns and Edwardian styled music stands and is an important and exotic element of the streetscape of Sturt Street.
The Queen Alexandra Bandstand it is now one of the few remaining examples of bandstands in Victoria. It serves as a tangible reminder of a highly popular form of entertainment, prominent on the community agenda for many years. The construction of the bandstand and its survival until now also reflects the prominence of music in Ballarat's cultural and civic identity.
The Queen Alexandra Bandstand - Sturt Street, Ballarat
Built in 1908 during the Edwardian heyday of the band movement before the Great War, the Queen Alexandra Bandstand is a beautiful and well maintained example of creative bandstand design. It was named after the then British Queen, wife of Edward VII.
Erected in the central median strip of Ballarat’s premier boulevard, Sturt Street between Doveton and Mair Streets, the Queen Alexandra Bandstand is surrounded by leafy oak trees and other deciduous European exotic trees. It is the second bandstand along Sturt Street, the other being the Titanic Memorial Bandstand. The Queen Alexandra bandstand is built in a polygonal form surmounted by a Moorish or Russian influenced onion dome. The bandstand has particularly fine wrought iron detailing incorporating musical motifs, including harps, horns and Edwardian styled music stands and is an important and exotic element of the streetscape of Sturt Street.
The Queen Alexandra Bandstand it is now one of the few remaining examples of bandstands in Victoria. It serves as a tangible reminder of a highly popular form of entertainment, prominent on the community agenda for many years. The construction of the bandstand and its survival until now also reflects the prominence of music in Ballarat's cultural and civic identity.