Clockwise from top left:
- The band in Tideswell in the 1950s
- The band in Longstone in the 1950s
- The band at Thornbridge Hall in 1930s
- The band in 1997
- The band at Ashford in the 1970s
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Clockwise from top left:
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The local band, known originally as Cressbrook Silver Band, but now called just 'Cressbrook Band', was founded in 1881 with the money for the purchase of the instruments being provided by the then mill owner. There was (and still is) a local tradition of brass bands, whose history is entwined with cotton mills, lead mining and Non-Conformism. The decline of all these in the area has meant that many of the bands from the smaller villages have not survived, but Cressbrook is one of those which has.
Originally all the band members came from the village or close by and almost all worked at the mill or nearby Litton Mill. In the years after these mills' closure the band went into steady decline, and at the end of the 1980s it was reduced to a core of about 12 players. However, a recent surge of enthusiasm has meant that the band is currently flourishing with over 30 players - most of them from within the village - quite amazing for a place with a population of 150. It is rumoured that if you come to live here then you wait in dread for the knock on your door when the band chairman comes to tell you that it is time for you to join - this is an invitation no-one is allowed to refuse!
It is a non-competitive band (division 4) who play for fun, and their main engagements are the many well-dressing festivals in the summer, plus carols in local pubs at Christmas. A feature of the calender is the tour around the village on Christmas Day, playing carols and drinking at every house!
