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Parking has become a major problem in Bourne whereas
eighty years ago such difficulties had only just begun to surface. The
main street through Bourne in 1935 was a quiet and peaceful thoroughfare
with just a few cars on the road although there was an ominous indication
of things to come with the first “No parking” notice attached to the gas
lamp on the left, a warning that even then some drivers appeared to
ignore.
The population of Bourne at that time was 4,889 (1931 census) and the
entire street had a quiet and unhurried air, unlike today when it is
jammed with vehicles at all hours of the day and parking restrictions
everywhere yet surprisingly this road remains the main A15 through Bourne
with little hope of traffic flows being alleviated by a north-south
bypass.
Telegraph poles lined the pavement carrying phone wires to the shops, the
new form of communication having reached the town in 1878 and had by now
become a vital part of business life. The former police station which can
be seen between Wake House and the corner of North Street and Burghley
Street was in use until 1960 when it was replaced by a new headquarters in
West Street and the old premises demolished to make way for a block of
eight council maisonettes for the elderly which opened in 1987. |
