The current public consultation over the future of the Town Hall is a reminder that raising the money to pay for its construction 200 years ago was the most speedy and surprising example of philanthropy in the history of the town while the official opening was a memorable public occasion. 

The previous Town Hall near the market place dated from the 16th century and is believed to have been given to the town by William Cecil who was born here in 1520 and went on to achieve fame and fortune as trusted adviser to Queen Elizabeth I. Over the years, however, the building, which had been used mainly by the magistrates for the petty and quarter sessions, had become so dilapidated that in 1820 a public meeting was called for property and land owners, clergymen and other dignitaries in the district to agree an alternative. 

The motion before the meeting proposed “that on account of the ruinous state of the present building, it is extremely desirous for the public convenience to erect a new Town Hall as soon as possible upon a site in the market place offered by the Marquess of Exeter”. Support was unanimous and a subscription list was opened which immediately attracted 37 donations in sums ranging from 100 guineas given by the Marquess of Exeter to £5, a total of £775 [£67,000 at today’s values] and by the end of the meeting a new Town Hall was well on its way.  

Additional contributions were soon rolling in and by the end of the year there was sufficient money in hand to instruct the architect Bryan Browning and a builder with donations not only from residents of Bourne but also from neighbouring parishes who between them eventually raised enough money to foot the bulk of the final bill of £2,450 [£220,500]. 

The foundation stone was laid on 30th April 1821 by the Marquess of Exeter, Lord of the Manor of Bourne, and a bottle was buried within it containing coins of the realm from the reign of George IV together with a document describing the ceremony and detailing those who had subscribed to the cost of the building, a list that was later added to a board on the wall of the courtroom where it has remained ever since.  

It was a grand occasion with many important guests, the bells of the Abbey Church ringing out to signal the arrival of the marquess in a coach pulled by four horses outside the Bull Inn [now the Burghley Arms] where he was met by an official party of magistrates.  

A procession of local dignitaries arrived at the site under a canvas awning where Mrs Catherine Digby of the Red Hall and other ladies of the town were waiting to welcome the official party for the stone-laying ceremony. The Rev John Nicholson, curate at the Abbey Church, said prayers asking for God's blessing on the work to be carried out. The foundation stone was then laid by the marquess and a second stone by Colonel William Johnson, chairman of the magistrates and of the organising committee, followed by three "huzzas" or cheers from the assembled company. 

During the ceremony, a purse of fourteen gold coins from the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I and three rings of pure gold which were discovered while the old town hall was being demolished, were presented to the marquess as treasure trove, he being the Lord of the Manor of Bourne. 

"The marquess left the town amidst the hearty thanks and good wishes of all parties concerned", reported the newspaper, "and the blessings of the poor, who were through His Lordship's bounty regaled in the evening with ale distributed in the market place and bread delivered to each family the following day. Thus finished a gratifying ceremony which will not be easily erased from the recollection of those present." 

Construction was completed within five months and the newspaper reported on Friday 19th October 1821: “The new and elegant Town Hall is one of the greatest improvements ever made in a town. By the removal of the old building from the market place, and the erection of this new one in a better situation, Bourne is wonderfully altered; its appearance of closeness and heaviness is removed as if by the hand of a magician, and the town puts on the ‘jaunty air’ of a lively and prosperous place.” 

The official opening was performed the following week by Earl Brownlow, Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, accompanied by members of the bench of magistrates and other local and county worthies. "It was found to be admirably calculated for a Sessions House and for all the uses for which the building was designed", reported the newspaper. 

Over the years, there have been alterations and extensions to the building which also survived a disastrous fire in October 1933 when the wooden clock tower was destroyed but firemen managed to confine the damage and its role within the community continued uninterrupted. 

The Town Hall is now Grade II listed and has been the centre of our administration for almost 200 years until March 2013 when it became the victim of local authority budget economies but now stands empty and disused until its future is decided. Lincolnshire County Council originally planned to sell the building but there were protests that it did not legally belong to them and a search of the archives produced a trust deed to this effect. It was then decided to hand the building back to the people and a public consultation to determine its future and how it should be run with a series of information meetings and an open invitation for suggestions is due to end on December 31st. 

Even at this late stage its future is by no means secure and despite a groundswell of public opinion in the social media favouring a return of the town council and the continued use of the building as the centre of our administration, there are real fears that it will fall victim to financial expediency and that this historic tradition will come to an end.