This then and now image shows the crowds gathered in Alexandra Park to listen to the Municipal Band in May 1915. The Hastings and St Leonards Pictorial Advertiser, from which all of the original images used in this series come from, provides an amusing review of the concert:

“The initial afternoon band performance in the park on Sunday drew a very large crowd. On the bank sheltered from the wind hundreds of chairs were filled and the programme presented by Mr Hiram Henton gave every satisfaction.”

“Never before have we heard less criticism and more praise for the corporation musical arrangements; nearly everybody appears to be satisfied – quite a departure from the general rule upon things musical in Hastings.”

This image is part of a series of Then and Now images I’ve created for East Sussex Council’s World War 1 commemoration website. The website is focussed on the contribution that the men and women of East Sussex made towards the war effort.

The two photographs used to create the image are below. You can view the top image full size on my Flickr page by clicking on it.