The Bowl, formerly home of the Bandstand
When the Heaton Park bandstand was built in 1906 it was called a curious structure by the Manchester Guardian. More of an outdoor stage under a proscenium arch, as in any proper theatre, rather than a mere bandstand. It can claim to hosting Manchester's first DJ when in 1909, local salesman from Prestwich, William Grimshaw, took his gramophone to Heaton Park and played recordings of songs performed by great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso to a crowd of 40,000 people who, according to the Prestwich and Heaton Park Guardian, "remained as if spellbound from the moment of arrival to the close of the programme, which, it is hardly necessary to say, was intensely enjoyed."
The Bowl area of the park provides a natural amphi-theatre shape creating the ideal sound and atmosphere for outdoor concerts such as William Grimshaw's.
