THERE HAVE BEEN FEARS that the Red Hall, the most famous secular building in Bourne, might suffer through unwanted residential development in the vicinity yet its appearance today has been enhanced by landscaping and tree planting making it one of the most attractive spots in the town. 

New homes have been built close by but the southern aspect that until now few people could see has been revealed in all of its glory with a new footpath running past that enables visitors take a closer look. 

The Red Hall is one of the finest and certainly the most attractive of our 71 listed buildings, designed in 1605 for Gilbert Fisher, a wealthy London grocer, and is typical of the new style of house being constructed for prosperous gentlemen of the Stuart period.  

The walls are made of locally produced hand-made bricks of a distinctive deep red with stone detailing and ashlar quoins, hence the name, while inside the original oak staircase remains intact with its chunky turned balusters and intricate carved features. The house is many gabled and has a fine Tuscan porch but there is evidence that Fisher was too ambitious because he died in debt in 1633 and the cost of constructing the house has been blamed for his insolvency. 

Since then, the hall has had many owners and a chequered history as a result. It looked at its most attractive during the tenancy of Catherine Digby who moved there in 1796 after marrying the then owner, James Digby, a wealthy man almost 40 years her senior who eventually became deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire. She took over the running of the house where they lived in some style with many servants and a large cellar stocked with fine wine and port. After his death in 1811, she became known as “Lady” Catherine, devoting her life to good works in the parish and to the magnificent garden she created around the Red Hall which was subsequently destroyed with the coming of the railway to Bourne.  

After she died in 1836, the hall was leased to various tenants until 1860 when it was sold to the Bourne and Essendine Railway Company together with adjoining buildings and five acres of land and so it came about that the town's railway station arose almost on the doorstep of this famous building which was converted for use as the booking office and station master’s residence. 

But we do have a description of Lady Catherine’s famous garden written by local headmaster Joseph Davies for his book Historic Bourne (1909) after speaking to many people who remembered it: 

The Red Hall in the pre-railway era would rank as one of those stately homes of which England was justly proud. It stood in its park, some of the magnificent trees of which are still standing. Two fine gateways on the old avenue roads leading to the main entrance now stand isolated. The imperious present has hustled out the leisurely past. The hospitable gates rust on their heavy hinges. The drives are now grass grown. Where the coach rattled gaily now nibbles the necessary sheep. Where were my lady's terraces, the locomotive runs. But traces of the avenues may be seen. Old inhabitants are loud in their praises of Madam Digby's beautiful garden. An ornamental lake spanned by a picturesque bridge and surrounded by beautiful trees, occupied the site now covered by the railway platform. The variety of timber in the park, as well as its artistic arrangement, was remarkable. The fine yew tree near the main entrance is much admired.

The railway operated for 100 years and finally closed in 1959. The owners were anxious to get rid of the Red Hall but there were no offers, not even for an asking price of £1. The National Trust refused to take it on and some councillors even suggested that it should be left to fall down. 

But help was at hand. Bourne United Charities stepped in and after a long and determined fight acquired the freehold in 1962. The hall was by then in a dilapidated condition, the chimneys having been dismantled in 1957 because they had become dangerous although the remainder of the building was intact and it was carefully and sympathetically restored to its former elegance. 

The work of restoration took several years at a cost £35,000 (£600,000 at today’s values) which was raised through a public appeal, the money coming from government and council grants and the balance from local fund raising, thus enabling the hall to re-open in December 1972 with the promise from the trustees that it would have widespread public use in the coming years as an arts centre, museum, assembly hall and community centre.  

The railway station and installations were slowly demolished and the old goods warehouses nearby were finally pulled down in 2005 when developers applied for permission to use the land for 60 new houses. The planning stage was not without its problems and two applications to South Kesteven District Council were declined on the grounds of access and traffic dangers as well as the close proximity of the Red Hall and the visual impact such a large development would have on the 17th century mansion. 

The objections were eventually overcome and the estate known as Great Northern Gardens to reflect is past railway connections is now almost complete. The trustees of Bourne United Charities maintained a close liaison with the developers to ensure the minimum impact from the residential development on the appearance of the hall. In the event, the area has been tastefully landscaped and a new pathway installed to enable pedestrians avoid the dangerous bend in South Road. 

Visitors now therefore have a new and closer view of this fine building but unfortunately, there is no regular access to the interior. Despite the assurances given forty years ago when the building was restored with public money, none of the promised roles for community involvement has materialised. The only regular use is as the office and boardroom of Bourne United Charities and so it remains virtually closed to the public, even on national Heritage Days which are held annually throughout the country.