The Beginning
In 1892 a group of young men met at Soughton (Sychdyn) and committed themselves to playing for a year with the newly formed band. Within two years they had relocated to nearby Northop. A bass drum, which was in use until fairly recently, has the mark 'Northop 1894' as proof of this fact. Very little is known of the early years as there are no written records but it is known that the bands' first contest success was in 1921 at Flint. The band at that time rehearsed at the Boot Inn which now supplies refreshments after practices.
The Thelwells
From those early days, one name has stood out above all others, that is, Thelwell. Mr. Thomas Thelwell was bandmaster for 50 years and many family members have played in the band. Only recently, Stewart Thelwell held the position of Band Manager making over 100 years of service for the Thelwell family. The minutes from committee meetings testify to the fact that the band was kept busy, playing concerts and contests, gaining many successes. Current members include Simon Thelwell, who plays Cornet in the Senior Band, and his two sons who are members of our Training Band along with Sara Thelwell.
To the Top
1969 proved to be a memorable year for the band. Firstly, the junior band (under Mr. Des Marsh, who is still teaching youngsters today) played its first contest. At the same time, Mr. Graham Jones was appointed to Flintshire Schools as a teacher of brass. Graham was to become the bands conductor in the early 70s, a move which brought the band up to its present high standard. The band is proud of its heritage and strives to provide a stable learning environment for future generations of brass players.
During 1993 to 1996 the band enjoyed a level of success that could be seen in British Banding as outstanding. Under the leadership of Thomas Wyss and James Scott, Northop won the first section National Title in the first section elevating the band into the Championship section of banding.
In the first two area contests in the Championship section Northop gained two second positions beating Welsh banding legends Cory and Parc & Dare from South Wales resulting in Northop taking its position in the top twenty bands in the UK appearing at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The success of the leadership and dedication of the players and musical director saw Northop rise to being one of the UKs top ten brass bands. Such performance and quality resulted in the band recording for Radio 2 on the Listen to the Band series. Northop continue on this success on appearing frequently with BBC productions and that of S4C in cultural and arts programmes on television and radio.
Professionals
As a result of its success and professional attitude, the band has been fortunate enough to play at some of the most prestigious venues in the country including, the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, St. David's Hall, Cardiff and the Royal Albert Hall in London. The 80s saw the band become 'internationals' with a visit to Menden in Germany where, again, they performed with great professionalism. Recently band members joined forces with Parc and Dare (South Wales) in a return visit to Germany to play at a Police Festival in Hamburg.