Glass Ornament - Bandstand

London's parks have been drawing crowds around their bandstands since 1861, when the first domed "bandhouse" was erected at the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens in South Kensington. Regent's Park followed in 1867, and Hyde Park's own bandstand in 1869, part of a Victorian building spree that saw over 150 spring up across the capital's parks. On a Sunday afternoon in their heyday, a single London bandstand could draw crowds of 10,000 to 20,000, gathered to hear brass bands play beneath their ornate, often oriental-inspired domes.

Many fell into disrepair through the 20th century, but London's surviving bandstands — including the one in Hyde Park, still standing since 1886 — remain a much-loved fixture of park life, hosting everything from Sunday concerts to open-air theatre.

This little glass ornament captures a touch of that old London charm, small enough to tuck onto the tree or slip into a stocking.

Size: 3 cm x 3 cm