Edmond’s Band Rotunda
The band rotunda was planned to be opened on 8:00pm on the 26th September 1929. There was a delay in the building of the band rotunda due to the copper sheeting required for the roof not arriving in time. It was a gift to Christchurch City from Mr T. J. Edmonds. Edmonds called the area Poplar Crescent, as the distance along the river from Colombo St to New Brighton was lined with poplar trees. And, Edmonds stated that he was born in Poplar, London and he wanted to commemorate this location.
On the 26th September 1929, this being the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of Thomas Edmonds and his wife in New Zealand. On this day, Edmonds unveiled an inscription stone at the new clock tower at the junction of Oxford Terrace, Chester and Madras Streets. And, a little later he performed the same function at the band rotunda.
The rotunda was officially opened on the 11th November 1929. The gifts that Edmonds and his wife gave to the city comprised of the band rotunda, a seating pavilion and ornamental lamp standards, a clock tower and a telephone cabinet. It was estimated that there were in excess of ten thousand people at the opening night. A number of bands, marching from different parts of the city, converged on the band rotunda. The lights were switched on at 8:00pm at which the assembled crowd cheered in appreciation. The building of the bandstand and shelter had not been quite completed at this point. There was a plan at this time to incorporate “Poplar Crescent” into a boulevard scheme that would eventually connect the city with the seaside. The shelter was intended for the elderly folk according to Mr Edmonds at the opening ceremony.
At the time, the Edmond’s Band Rotunda was the largest in New Zealand. In the Christchurch Star on the 20th April 1929 it states that ‘the rotunda, which will be 30 feet in diameter and 40 feet in height to the top of the dome, will be constructed of concrete, with a dome of timber covered in copper. It will be octagonal in shape, the design being Doric. The dome will be supported by eight columns, one at each angle of the octagon. A terrace is to be formed round the structure, leaving a promenade 14 feet wide, also octagonal in shape. The terrace is to have an edging of concrete kerbs with stepped approaches and piers of concrete with a lamp standard at an angle. On the east side of the rotunda there will be a shelter, 40 feet 8 inches by 16 feet, with accommodation for 50 or 60 people. It will also be constructed of concrete and, like the principal building, will be artistically lighted’.
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