North Street

The best view of North Street is from the upper floors of the tall buildings across the road in the old market place, now the town centre. This vantage point gives a commanding view down the road and a glimpse of what Bourne was like in past times because it is only when you are at street level that you can see the changes made to the facades of many old buildings by turning them into shops, and not always for the better.

There are many crumbling buildings in North Street and some date back 200 years yet the ground floors have been torn out and fitted with garish shop fronts while the upper floors retain some of the period dignity but have been allowed to deteriorate badly which is not always apparent to passers-by because they rarely raise their eyes above what is on display in the shop windows. 

The early 19th century building that houses two retail units at No 17 North Street is a particular example of exterior neglect and despite it being a Grade II listed building, traffic lights and a street sign have been erected immediately outside to add to the ruin of the façade of what must have once been a very grand shop and town house. It was built in 1840 by William Wherry whose initials and date stone can be found at the rear. The business was then known as Wherry and Sons and it was here that his many sons and daughters were born.

In 1924, the property was sold to the Peterborough Co-operative Society Ltd which had a grocery store on the ground floor while the upper rooms were converted into public accommodation that became known as the Co-operative Hall where various organisations arranged their weekly meetings and special occasions. Saturday night dances were a regular event as were wedding receptions and birthday parties and the Jehovah's Witnesses also met met there for a spell. The frontage was eventually altered, the front door removed and the downstairs premises split into two shop units that are currently occupied by the Paper Chain newsagents and the Nationwide Building Society and although the hall upstairs is no longer used, refurbishment is currently underway.

The quaint little building at No 1 North Street is now the local offices of the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society but prior to that it was shop premises. William Sang, printers, booksellers and stationers, traded from here during the early 19th century followed by Todd’s, who established a reputation as tailors, hatters, hosiers and outfitters, and as an agency for cellular underwear, until the early years of the 20th century.

The business was founded by John Todd and carried on after his death by one of his sons, William Dales Todd, and under their ownership, the business flourished for 40 years. Mr William Todd died on Saturday 10th May 1924 at the age of 63. The shop frontage is much the same as it was in those days except that the door was on the left and there was no sealed plate glass but the original sash windows have been removed from the upper floor in favour of those we now see, centred on the front wall of the building rather than on either side, and the shape of the dome on the dormer window has been changed from circular to pointed.

One of the oddest shaped buildings in North Street is the old Tudor cinema, built in a mock Gothic style in 1929, but no longer used as a picture palace.

Vestry Hall in North Street can easily be missed because the red brick building is set back from the road and hidden behind large wooden gates. It was built as a Calvinist chapel in 1867 and later used as a drill hall but is best remembered for its role as Bourne Military Hospital during the First World War of 1914-18.

Albion Terrace in North Street (left), described in July 1896 as a row of seven old cottages with outbuildings and gardens with a gross letting rental of £68 a year. They are still in use as family homes but most are now privately owned. The pair of cottages nearby (right) were converted in the autumn of 2001 into a new dental practice for the town.

The red brick property at the Meadowgate corner in North Street, pictured below, has been in commercial use ever since it was built in 1870 but was destroyed by fire in 1922 and later rebuilt as garage premises.

North Street also contains a fine terrace of Victorian houses which were the subject of much controversy when plans were announced to demolish them but developers eventually agreed on a scheme of refurbishment to retain their original Victorian appearance, work that was carried out during 2003.

MORE VIEWS OF NORTH STREET
SOME NORTH STREET SHOPS
Shops have been operating from the Grade II listed Central Buildings in the main shopping centre at No 15 North Street since the early 18th century, the latest tenants including Blue-eyed Dolls, a fashion boutique, and Joy of Flowers which specialises in bouquets of colourful blooms and floral arrangements.
In the summer of 2014, Bourne Preservation Society condemned some of the garish shop fronts that were creeping into the streets which were out of keeping with the appearance of an historic market town and although no specific properties were mentioned, there were adverse comments in the social media about inappropriate colours being used by traders with premises within the Conservation Area, such as these two commercial properties at the far end of North Street.
This unusual town house at No 82 North Street dates from the 19th century and was built of yellow brick and blue slate but has been extended and modernised over the years and recently given a new chocolate and cream frontage.

REVISED AUGUST 2015

See also

Jessie Bellamy     Shop closures

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