page_title: H. Kempton Dyson
section_title: Central Bandstand, Herne Bay
hierarchical_section_title: H. Kempton Dyson / Designs and projects / From 1919 / Central Bandstand, Herne Bay
caption_attribution_description: Postcard showing a print of Herne Bay (Kent, England) looking east from the third Herne Bay Pier. The original photo was probably taken from the promenade deck halfway up the Grand Pier Pavilion, or possibly from the roof of the entrance building. This shows a special aspect of the pier, which was to give an unusual view of the town from the sea, for those who had no access to ships. The bandstand can be seen along the beach. It was published by Photochrom of London and Tunbridge Wells.
context_page_description: Herbert William Charles Kempton Dyson, M.I.Struct.E., known professionally as H. Kempton Dyson, was an English structural engineer, civil engineer, architect, editor and author who specialised in reinforced concrete structures. He was a founder member and the first permanent secretary of the Concrete Institute, which became the Institution of Structural Engineers. He designed the Central Bandstand, Herne Bay in 1924.
context_section_description: In 1923–1924 he designed the first phase of this bandstand as one of the earliest reinforced concrete structures of its kind in the UK. It was supported above the tidal beach on concrete pillars sheathed in cast iron, so that it was level with the promenade. Its cantilevered roof supported seaward-facing balconies with space for deckchairs, and sheltered both a lower deck and the stage. Metal, glazed screens at the east and west sides of the building crossed the promenade, and could be moved to protect the audience from wind, or retracted into the wings to allow promenaders to cross when no band was playing. The seating area in front of the stage was a railed-off section of the promenade, and the seating on the roof above the stage included two copper-covered domes, plus two domes which doubled as refreshment kiosks. In the 1920s and 1930s the conductor of a visiting military band was considered a VIP, therefore a red carpet would be laid across the road so that he could make his grand entrance from the Connaught Hotel opposite the Bandstand.
caption: Central Bandstand, 1920s, showing columns above tidal beach
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