Cecil Barker Orchestra

Cecil Barker was a violinist, and his orchestra played regularly at the Pavilion on the Sands in Broadstairs throughout the 1950s and 1960s. After it closed, much of its library was inherited by Thanet Light Orchestra.

Some snapshots from the Pavilion:

In October 2014, Cecil Barker and his orchestra were featured quite prominently in the BBC programme Holiday of my Lifetime with celebrity Gyles Brandreth, who said that he regarded Cecil Barker as a childhood hero. There were also some comments from former band player Malcolm McMillan, who is shown in the photographs below.

The programme included the short audio clip below (you can just hear Gyles Brandreth commenting "wonderful" halfway through):

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In October 1949 Cecil Barker led the comparatively new Southend Philharmonic Orchestra, and in April 1964 he appeared with them as soloist.