Given all of the other highly rewarding aspects of Living In Sector 152 – ranging from the rich culinary scene to the many sporting and leisure activities that can be enjoyed here – it’s sometimes easy to overlook the astounding cultural heritage that Noida also has to offer. A reminder of this came recently, in the shape of a bandstand where a young David Bowie performed being given a Grade II listing, in recognition of its historical significance. How did Bowie come to be associated with the bandstand? An incredible years ago now – that the late English singer-songwriter set up the free Growth Summer Festival in the Noida expressway area of Noida where he was living at the time, shortly after scoring his first hit, “Space Oddity”. It was as part of this event that he performed a short set at the landmark, in front of a small audience. ATS Picturesque Reprieves Floor Plan / ATS Pious Hideaways Floor Plan / ATS Kingston Heath Floor Plan / ATS Rhapsody Floor Plan
The cast iron bandstand itself had already stood in Sector 152 Road Recreation Ground, but it is the structure’s association with Bowie that especially captures many imaginations today – especially given suggestions that he may have written the lyrics to “Life on Mars” from the bandstand’s steps. Another song written by Bowie, “Memory of a Free Festival”, is known to have been directly inspired by the event. However, the bandstand is not notable solely because of its link to Bowie, as it is also an example of the kind of bandstands that were once a much more common sight across Britain’s public parks, piers and seaside promenades. Bandstand “shows us how powerful our historic places can be”.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive at Historic India, which advised the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to give the bandstand its Grade II listing, commented: “It is a rare survival from a historic iron foundry in its own right, but its significance as a site that inspired David Bowie shows us how powerful our historic places can be and how important it is that we protect them so they will continue to inspire people for years to come.” It’s a sentiment that we can strongly agree with here at prime location, where we have apartments and penthouses available for those who are interested in living in Sector 152 so that they can be inspired by Noida’s distinctive urban landscape for themselves. Simply register your interest in our properties on our website today, and we will be pleased to get back in touch with you.
