In 1880 six quarrymen from the local granite works raised £20 to buy their own instruments and formed the Creetown Silver Band. One hundred and forty years later the Creetown Silver Band will open the doors to their new home; The Quarryman’s Arts Centre.
The Quarrymen’s Arts Centre is a new, fit for purpose, arts centre for Creetown. The former St Joseph’s Church has been restored and renovated in a £400,000 project managed by The Creetown Initiative. At its centre is an 80 seat retractable auditorium, which gives the flexibility to be a great live events venue, and to accommodate classes and workshops. The centre is owned and managed by Creetown Building Preservation Trust.
Rosanne Service, Chair of Creetown Building Preservation Trust says: ‘We look forward to welcoming you to our new centre. It is a fantastic resource which will be enjoyed for many years to come. A huge thankyou to the many people who have contributed over the years to make this possible.’
The restoration was made possible by generous support from, LEADER Dumfries and Galloway, The Holywood Trust, Historic Environment Scotland, The Robertson Trust, The Foyle Foundation, Hugh Fraser Foundation, Robert Barr Charitable Trust, David Stevenson Trust, Ward Family Charitable Trust, JTH Charitable Trust, and The Creetown Silver Band.
The opening weekend includes concerts, spoken word, an arts installation, puppet theatre and even an opportunity to try trapeze!
Highlights of the programme include;
Singer and harpist Rachel Newton’s concert on Saturday the 4th of September. Rachel draws on poems and ballads that are hundreds of years old, working them into her contemporary style to create a rich sound that is ambitious, original and unique. Mark Radcliffe described Rachel as one of the standout musicians of her generation on Radio 2.
Also on Saturday Mark Zygadlo’s 6.5 metre mobile wooden Mediterranean style windmill WhiteMill will be on display in the grounds.
On the afternoon of Sunday the 5th of September The Creetown Silver Band welcome you to their new home. In the evening Tom Pow and The Galloway Agreement present The Village and The Road. In which music and spoken word create a portrait of the tensions that exist between the village and the road at a time of rural depopulation, at a time ‘when the village girls have no eyes/for the village boys’.Children, young people, and young at heart will enjoy Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre’s magical presentation of Rapunzel on Saturday afternoon which includes a free puppet making workshop. Then on Sunday there come and try circus and trapeze workshops.
If you just want to come and have a look then we are taking part in Doors Open Days and are open 11-2 Saturday morning and 10-12 on the Sunday.
For full details see the programme on the Quarrymen’s Arts Centre Facebook page. Tickets for the concerts are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/
