Designed by Rebecca Dedman
Photographs courtesy of Sue and David Stopps
The concept for the Secret Window installation stems around layers, in particular layers of history, celebrating the town’s history and music heritage.
The ‘Arches’ and Corn Exchange building were designed by David Brandon for the Aylesbury Market Company and built in 1865 in a Jacobean style, as an extension to the earlier Palladian-style County Hall.
The market hall was accessed by the ornate doorway under the arches and the cattle market was at the rear with direct access from Exchange Street. Following a period of agricultural depression when corn prices plummeted, the Corn Exchange building was sold in 1901 to Aylesbury Urban District Council for use as a town hall.
The buildings were badly affected by a major fire in 1962 and only a fragment of the Corn Exchange survived as the Uptown Coffee Bar.
David Bowie
Friars Aylesbury, 15 July 1972
At Friars Aylesbury, David Bowie unleashed the world debuts of both ‘Hunky Dory’ in September 1971 and ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ in January 1972. These albums are considered 2 of the most iconic of the 20th century. After the September 1971 gig, he formed the Spiders from Mars in the Friars dressing room.
Bowie referenced Aylesbury Market Square in the first line of the Ziggy Stardust album’s opening track ‘Five Years’. His worldwide fan club was also based in Aylesbury. The Friars venue was the now-demolished Borough Assembly Hall, the entrance of which still exists as the alley next to the Green Man in Aylesbury’s Market Square. The photograph above was taken by Mick Rock at Friars Aylesbury on 15 July 1972, which was part of the Ziggy Stardust tour.
Dennis Brown
Friars Aylesbury, 12 May 1979
From Kingston Jamaica, Dennis Brown, otherwise known as The Lion, was the first Jamaican reggae artist to headline Friars Aylesbury. And what a glorious night it was. The success of this show paved the way for another Dennis Brown show in 1980 and later Friars gigs with Jamaica’s Gregory Isaacs and Toots & The Maytals.
This photo was taken by Mark Jordan at Friars Aylesbury on 12 May 1979.
Blondie
Friars Aylesbury, 12 November 1977
New York punk band Blondie played the opening date of their 1977 UK tour at Friars Aylesbury. This photo by Mark Jordan shows Debbie Harry with local legend Nigel Harrison on bass at Friars on 12 November 1977. Nigel was brought up in Princes Risborough and played in many local bands including Smokey Rice and Farm. This was his first ever date with Blondie, after which he became a permanent member of the band and co-wrote several of their hits.