BOURNE COMMENT

A personal view of issues
and events

by REX NEEDLE

REMEMBERING CHERRY TREE COTTAGE

One of the oldest properties in Bourne was demolished 35 years ago this year, an act of official vandalism that led directly to the formation of the town’s Civic Society.

No 15 Bedehouse Bank dated from the late 17th or early 18th century, a thatched cottage made from mud and stud which was typical of many built in Lincolnshire during that period.

The cottage was the last surviving example of this building method in Bourne and the property had been in continuous use for more than 250 years. Mud and stud was used for the construction of cottage walls, the mud being plastered on to the lathes nailed to a wooden frame which was reputed to be more durable and stronger than the wattle and daub used in other parts of the country where the mud was plastered on a screen made of woven saplings.

The dwelling was called Cherry Tree Cottage because there were two cherry trees, one on either side, but it became better known as Miss Adams' cottage after the last tenant who had died after which it was condemned by the local authority as being unfit for human habitation and was put up for sale as a redevelopment site but the owners failed to find a buyer.

The Grade II listed building consisted of one storey and attics, rendered walls and a thatched roof over two dormer windows at the eaves with two brick built chimneys. The door had a flat wood lintel with two panels of glass and there were two windows on the ground floor, one an 18th century sash with a flush frame, flat arch and glazing bars while the other was a small sliding sash window.

Experts insisted that it was sufficiently rare to be preserved, perhaps as a museum, but costs were said to be prohibitive and the owners sought permission to pull it down. Although it was a listed building, the cottage was demolished in 1980 after a public inquiry when objections by the Civic Society, the Ancient Monuments Society and other conservation organisations, were overruled.

This is now regarded as a misguided decision by today’s standards of environmental awareness and it has been suggested in some quarters that the historic cottage was “demolished in dubious circumstances” but there appears to be no evidence to support this theory.

The public inquiry which determined the future of this cottage was convened under the government rules and regulations in force at that time and although the decision may have been unpopular with many people, there has never been any suggestion of underhand dealings or that the official procedures were not followed.

One of the prime movers of the campaign to save the cottage was Rod Hoyle, art master at Bourne Grammar School and one of the town’s great conservation campaigners, who hoped to preserve it as a museum of rural craft and he even found a thatcher and a supply of straw to give it a new roof although it was not to be.

But despite the failure of the campaign to save the cottage, the joint endeavour to preserve it sparked an appreciation of the richness of our urban environment and a public meeting was called at the Red Hall with the intention of founding a conservation group to protect our heritage and promote high standards of town planning which in the event became Bourne Civic Society.

The Earl of Ancaster was invited to be their president and he continued in office until his death in March 1983 when he was succeeded by his daughter, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, who remains in office today.

The inaugural meeting also voted to produce a regular newsletter and to bring guest speakers to the town to talk on environmental issues and both of these objectives have been achieved in the years that followed.

The society's greatest accomplishment however has been in persuading Bourne United Charities to grant them a lease of Baldock's Mill, the early 19th century water mill in South Street, for refurbishment as a Heritage Centre and museum and that too has been achieved during many years of fund-raising and dedicated voluntary work by society members.

Restoration work began in 1983 and the centre opened in 1989. The features now include many artefacts, maps and documents from Bourne's past and a large display of photographs and mementoes from the career of Raymond Mays, the motor racing pioneer who lived in the town and, most importantly, the Charles Worth gallery devoted to the life and times of the local solicitor’s son who left to seek his fortune in London and Paris where he established a world renowned fashion salon.

An unfortunate event therefore brought about much benefit to this town, thus illustrating the old proverb that it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

Note: This article was published by the Bourne web site on 12th September 2015