Bourne Diary - May 2002

Saturday 4^th May 2002

The site chosen for the six-foot high memorial costing £6,000 is a strip of grassland to the north of the mill with the Bourne Eau on one side and South Street on the other but the application for planning permission has not yet been determined because it may be too close to the mill and the War Memorial Gardens and the structure would be more suited to a less obtrusive location.

Over £2,000 has already been spent on preliminary work for the memorial which is being funded by the Bourne Motor Heritage Day held in August 1999 which brought hundreds of motor racing aficionados to the town to pay homage to Raymond Mays whose achievements on and off the track brought fame to the town, and his development of the BRM, which became the first all-British car to win the world championship in 1962 while the company's Number One driver Graham Hill, father of the present day Damon, became world champion at the same time. This accolade from world motor racing was marked by a civic reception organised by the old Bourne Urban District Council at the Town Hall when Hill was presented with a silver salver for his achievement while Mays himself was honoured in 1978 with a CBE for his services to motor racing.

But does this make him worthy of a six-foot high memorial in one of the town’s most prominent locations? It does seem to be rather extravagant and even a smaller construction would need careful thought by those responsible as to how it would impact on the street scene. However, while our planners consider the application, perhaps this is the time to pause and think about how we do and do not remember those whose names have become permanently associated with this town, particularly those who gave their time and effort to provide a better place to live for those who came after. Not everyone, for instance, would agree that the name of Raymond Mays should be perpetuated in such a grandiose manner because he is regarded by some as a man who squandered the family fortune and ruined a local business that gave employment to many in pursuance of a dream while at the same time living a playboy lifestyle that did not find favour with everyone. He died in debt and was cremated but his ashes were not preserved and there is no memorial stone in the town cemetery alongside his parents and other members of his family. Fame at the point of death may be forgotten when there is no money for such remembrances and now that the finance comes from elsewhere, we should ask whether it is being spent to perpetuate the man or the sport in which he was involved. It should also be remembered that motor racing has a minority following.

There is another much more pertinent question to be answered: why have those others who did so much more for the town been forgotten? The possibility of a memorial to them is now extremely unlikely because their names have been lost in the mists of time. One such man was Alderman William Wherry (1841-1915), who in my opinion did more for Bourne than any other person living or dead and anyone now in office would have great difficulty in overtaking his achievements. His public work during the late 19th and early 20th century was phenomenal and he was such a busy man and so dedicated to serving the community that shortly before he retired from public life because of ill health, his numerous public offices and positions of responsibility numbered almost 100.

The esteem in which he had been held was echoed by the Stamford Mercury newspaper who said: "By the death of Alderman Wherry, there has been closed the life of one of Bourne's most respected townsmen, a businessman of exceptional ability, a public spirited man which few could equal, a man with a deeply religious character. Deceased was one of those many-sided characters of which there are few. He was a member of an old and respected family whose business associations with the town extended over a century. His public work was always actuated by the highest motives. A native of Bourne, he took full advantage of every opportunity to promote its welfare. In private life, the deceased gentleman was the friend of all and he showed a generous disposition. His removal has left a vacant place in the life of the town that will be difficult to fill."

Only one other man in the history of this town would be worthy of such an epitaph and that was Horace Stanton (1897-1977), a local solicitor who was responsible for the many facilities that we now enjoy, including the Abbey Lawn, the Wellhead Gardens and the Red Hall. When he died in April 1977, his ashes were scattered over the Abbey Lawn which was perhaps his greatest achievement. In his funeral address, the vicar, the Rev Gordon Lanham, said that Mr Stanton had learned the lesson of service. He had served his country, his profession, the church and the community for nearly 60 years. He recalled the epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren in the words of his son that are inscribed over the north door of St Paul's Cathedral in London which he designed: "If you would see his monument look around" and added:

"How true that was of Horace Stanton. The provision of the Memorial Gardens on one side of the church and the Abbey Lawn on the other, with all of its facilities for recreation and pleasure, was due to his foresight so that we and all others who come after us can have the benefit of them. And so we remember him with respect."

There are no monuments or statues in Bourne to either of these men and there are many others similarly forgotten, some of whom made their mark on the world stage, yet the town continues to benefit from the selfless work they did during their lifetimes. Where are the memorials to Robert Harrington (1589-1654), who walked to London to seek his fortune and when he made his money, left it in his will to the people of Bourne who still benefit today? William Cecil (1520-1598), born here yet rose to become the trusted first minister and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I during one of the most turbulent periods of England’s history; Thomas Mays (1856-1934), father of Raymond, whose business acumen brought both employment and prosperity to Bourne for more than half a century; J J Davies (1856-1920), a memorable teacher who for 33 years nurtured the young lives of 2,000 boys as headmaster of the board school in Abbey Road; Robert Manning, the 14th century monk who was instrumental in putting the ordinary speech of the English people of his time into a written form that is still recognisable today; Robert Mason Mills ((1819-1904), Victorian entrepreneur who achieved royal patronage for his aerated waters; Charles Worth, son of a Bourne solicitor who founded haute couture and took the world by storm with his internationally famous Parisian fashion house; and lastly Hereward the Wake, the Saxon hero of 1,000 years ago, a man from history for which this town is best remembered throughout the world and the subject of more inquiries to this web site than Raymond Mays or any of the other prominent people mentioned here put together.

There are many more yet none of them are remembered in this town with elaborate memorials. In fact, you will search in vain for a mention of any of them in a public place, except perhaps for the odd street name and a humble plaque for William Cecil, the first Lord Burghley, on the front of a public house in the town centre where he was born. The fact that money is now available to finance a memorial project for Raymond Mays is a sign of our times and changing values. What then, makes him so special? Perhaps if those other worthy people I have mentioned had made their names in sport, Bourne would be full of memorials acclaiming their achievements. You may judge for yourself whether they ought to be remembered equally with, if not ahead of, Raymond Mays, because the lives of most of them can be found on this web site and that of Horace Stanton is added today to Bourne Focus. If a new memorial is to be erected in our town, then perhaps it should be his.

Illustrated biographies of all of those people mentioned above, together with many more, are included in my history of this town, A Portrait of Bourne on CD-ROM, that has now become the largest archive ever produced. In recent weeks, photographs made available by the Bourne branch of the Family History Society have been added to illustrate how the town has changed in the past two centuries and they are a marvellous evocation of times past and I have added an entirely new section to accommodate them, showing the changing street scene in the market place and elsewhere. The disc now contains over 1,200 pictures both old and new, together with 340 essays amounting to 300,000 words. Copies have gone to the public library and to schools and other organisations and if you wish to obtain one, you can access an order form on the front page of the web site.

One of the lesser-known features of this web site is our Bourne Links from where you can access a large number of other Internet web sites associated with the area. I mention this because several more have been added in recent weeks and anyone with a few moments to spare who wishes to surf to interesting places without the bother of typing in long and tortuous addresses can do so here at the click of a mouse and the majority have all been tried and tested before being included.

I would not wish to recommend one web site above another because all are favourites but as a lover of the daily chronicle of everyday events, I gain particular pleasure from Country Diaries and particularly from John Copeland, a Lincolnshire man who has been writing his Diary of a Superannuated Soul for the past four years and shares most of my prejudices. His writings are outrageously non-politically correct and some of his views in recent months, particularly since the election of President George Bush, have cost him many readers in America, but it is his controversial opinions that make him so readable. Try it and you may find other links on this page well worth a second visit.

The new waste depot for Bourne finally opened last weekend and will now operate on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a m until 4 p m until seven-day opening can be finalised by Lincolnshire County Council later this year. The date June 17th has been suggested but on their past record, this is unlikely and I gather that this optimism is not shared by the operators. The centre has been located on land off Pinfold Road and I gave it a try on Sunday morning and found it a most convenient facility to use, well laid out and with staff on hand to help unload. In fact, the depot was simplicity itself and I can only wonder why it has taken the county council 26 years to open it.

On this time scale, it is doubtful if I will live to see new public lavatories for Bourne and anyone over 40 is unlikely to be around when the by-pass proposed for the town finally opens for traffic. This country is in dire need of a new system of local government and until the present order is swept away with far reaching reforms, the district and county councils will continue along their present path, the high-salaried, over-staffed and feather-bedded bureaucracies burgeoning, while the increasing amounts they collect from us in council tax is spent annually with little evidence of improvements in our services.

Thought for the Week: The beginning of August. – reply from the Duke of Edinburgh when asked which part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations in June and July he was most looking forward to, reported by BBC Ceefax “I Quote”, Sunday 28th April 2002.

Saturday 11^th May 2002

I have now stumbled across a much earlier version of our history and although smaller and less detailed than those I have mentioned above, it does deserve a place in the bibliography of our town because it not only contains a lot on information which they do not but also provides a view of Bourne as it was two centuries ago. My latest discovery is called Collections for a Topographical, Historical and Descriptive Account of the Hundred of Aveland, written by John Moore and published in February 1809 with the help of his benefactor, Mrs Eleanor Frances Pochin, wife of George Pochin, Lord of the Manor of Bourne Abbots for 37 years from 1761 until 1798, and who succeeded to the manorial estates in 1804 soon after her husband died. The author dedicated his work to her in these words: “To Mrs Pochin of Bourn Abbey, this volume of historical collections is respectfully inscribed as a memorial of gratitude for many acts of kindness conferred on her obliged humble servant, John Moore”. One can almost imagine him tugging at his forelock as he wrote that dedication.

Moore gives detailed descriptions of the town and the church but there are many inaccuracies that have since come to light as the result of subsequent investigations but nevertheless, it is intriguing reading. He was particularly concerned with the weather, as were most people in those days because this was a farming community that depended on the land for its existence and starvation was a real fear if crops were lost through prolonged periods of inclement conditions. This is a short book but we must remember that the printed word was denied to all but the very few and so the appearance of any volume in a house was a sign of learning.

One of his most colourful sections deals with earthquakes and storms in Bourne and he wrote as follows:

On the 30th September 1750, a severe shock of an earthquake was felt in Bourn and its vicinity which created a general alarm. It happened about half an hour after twelve at noon and was perceived generally in this county, in most parts of Leicestershire and part of Northamptonshire. The houses tottered, plates and glasses fell from the shelves, and slates, tiles and some chimneys fell from the houses; but happily, no great mischief was done. In some churches where services were not over (it being on a Sunday), the people ran from their devotions in the utmost consternation. The shock was attended with a rumbling noise.

Again on the 24th February 1792 and was felt in Bourn and neighbouring towns experienced another shock of an earthquake.

On the 25th of July, 1760, a terrible storm of thunder, lightning, and hail, came from the west, beating the fruit from the trees, and breaking the windows facing the quarter. It lasted about fifteen minutes. On Sunday the 4th of May, 1800, at half an hour past two o’clock p m, a dreadful storm of thunder, and lightning, accompanied with hail, commenced, and continued raging with unceasing fury for the space of thirty minutes. It came in a south west direction, lacerating trees and destroying the windows facing the above-mentioned point. Several elms were torn up by the roots; birds killed in their nests; and the corn was destroyed in the fields. The hailstones measured five inches in circumference and weighed upwards of three ounces.

The following lines were written by an inhabitant on this occasion, which, as they have never been laid before the public, I shall take the liberty of inserting here;

In May’s gay month, when Flora decks with pride
The meads and lawns with flowers on every side;
The clouds grew black – tempestuous was the sky –
Loud peals of thunder echo’d from on high –
The feather’d tribe forsook each tuneful spray,
And herds for shelter fled in rude dismay.
The clouds o’ercharged, pour’d forth thick hail and rain,
And vivid lightnings flash’d across the plain;
The trees, at once, their beautious foilage lost,
Stript by the blast, as by a biting frost.
When heav’n, for men’s great crimes, with flaming hand
Thus deals its judgments o’er a guilty land,
The sinner stands aghast, and chill’d with fear,
Checks the mad progress of his wild career;
And while he views the storm with dread affray
High trees laid low, and houses swept away,
Recognises in the elemental strife
The sad effects of his own wretched life,
And aw’d with deep contrition to implore
Divine forgiv’ness, goes and sins no more.
Such are the warnings sent us for our crimes,
And bless’d are we, if we repent betimes.

My own history, A Portrait of Bourne on CD-ROM, contains references to all of the books quoted above, including biographies of J J Davies and J D Birkbeck, and is now the largest archive ever produced. The photographs from times past are particularly evocative and a new section has been added to contain them. Here is a sample, a rare picture from 1900 showing the Market Place as it was, before pedestrians were put at risk by the motor car and when life proceeded at a more leisurely rate.

The Ostler memorial drinking fountain was still there but increasing traffic flows necessitated its removal to the town cemetery in 1960. The photographer had to cope with the usual crowd of inquisitive boys but they have been used to good effect to add a period atmosphere to this picture. The shop on the extreme right on the corner of South Street was occupied by Robert Blacklock Stanger, saddle and harness maker, but later in the 20th century it became the Dinky Sweetshop and is now a barber's shop.

There are many more such views among the 1,200 photographs on this disc and if you wish to obtain a copy, you will find details and an order form on the front page of this web site.

The re-painting of the Angel Hotel in green and cream has become a battle of wills between the owners and the local authority. The woodwork was black and white until December 2001 when decorators moved in to provide it with its new livery. This is however, a listed building within a conservation area and the necessary planning permission was not obtained from South Kesteven District Council that is now likely to issue an order requiring the building to be restored to its original colours.

The situation has caused some controversy and many people feel that the new colour scheme is detrimental to the appearance of a traditional Lincolnshire market town and may not only deter visitors driving through from staying awhile but could also affect business. My photograph of the green and cream building has been added to the section on the Angel Hotel and so you can judge for yourself. If you feel strongly about this, one way or the other, please contribute to the discussion in the Bourne Forum.

Another controversy that is currently being debated in the Forum concerns the erection of memorials to famous people in the town, sparked off by proposals to erect one to the motor racing pioneer Raymond Mays (1899-1980) on a strip of land adjoining Baldock’s Mill in South Street. Planning permission for the six-foot high stone and brick edifice adorned with racing motifs and costing £6,000 has not yet been determined by South Kesteven District Council because there are concerns that it may be too big and that this is the wrong location. There has certainly been no public consultation about the project and the first most people heard about it was an item in the local newspapers.

I suggested in this column last week that if a memorial is to be erected in Bourne then there are other more worthy people from our history to whom it should be dedicated and I suggested such deserving cases as Robert Harrington (1589-1654), who walked to London to seek his fortune and when he made his money, left it in his will to the people of Bourne who still benefit today; William Cecil (1520-1598), born here yet rose to become the trusted first minister and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I during one of the most turbulent periods of England’s history; Thomas Mays (1856-1934), father of Raymond, whose fertiliser and fellmonger's business brought both employment and prosperity to Bourne for more than half a century; J J Davies (1856-1920), a memorable teacher who for 33 years nurtured the young lives of 2,000 boys as headmaster of the board school in Abbey Road; Robert Manning, the 14th century monk who was instrumental in putting the ordinary speech of the English people of his time into a written form that is still recognisable today; Robert Mason Mills ((1819-1904), Victorian entrepreneur who achieved royal patronage for his aerated waters; Charles Worth, son of a Bourne solicitor who founded haute couture and took the world by storm with his internationally famous Parisian fashion house; and lastly Hereward the Wake, the Saxon hero of 1,000 years ago, a man from history for which this town is best remembered throughout the world and the subject of more inquiries to this web site than Raymond Mays or any of the other prominent people mentioned here put together.

Among the many messages on this subject in the Bourne Forum, there has been a persuasive response from Dr Michael McGregor, a man who has done more than his fair share for the town and was heavily involved in establishing a memorial room to Raymond Mays at the Heritage Centre in Baldock’s Mill, as well as producing an excellent illustrated account of his life and times, and he has put the case for a memorial in these words:

This week's Bourne diary is thought provoking. I do think memorials are more about fame than worth, so maybe Raymond Mays is a fitting subject. Certainly I think Bourne should be proud of his achievement in motor sport and producing engineering works of art which are still achieving success in vintage events. I have always held that this was better commemorated by an exposition, as we now have in Baldock’s Mill, than by any individual memorial but if a suitable memorial to the cars and the major personalities can go alongside, then why not? It would be outside the War Memorial Gardens. I agree that Hereward is the most famous candidate but his links with Bourne are very uncertain, William Cecil left within days of his birth and Charles Worth at the age of twelve. Raymond Mays was here all his life and achieved fame for the town, as well as himself. Fellmongering and the wool trade were declining anyway, as the area became more arable, so the engineering jobs and training that he brought to Bourne must have been of great benefit. May I register a "pro" reply?

It would appear that most of the objectors to this project are not against a memorial to Raymond Mays per se. After all, the money is available and his connection with the town is not in dispute. But the size and location suggested appear to be unacceptable to many people and a smaller cairn-like structure in a less obtrusive spot might well satisfy everyone. Here then is the chance for you to have your say on the issue which is the subject of this week’s web site poll and the question is:

Should a 6ft. high memorial be erected to Raymond Mays at the entrance to Bourne?

Please vote. This is a significant issue concerning the appearance of this town and as the results will be sent to the district council, your opinion could help determine the outcome.

Thought for the Week: Europe’s politics cannot continue with business as usual. Below the surface of a seemingly broad consensus and political correctness, the cauldron is simmering ever more strongly. – Der Standard, Vienna, 8th May 2002, quoted by BBC Ceefax, over the killing of right wing Dutch MP Pim Fortuyn who was shot outside a radio station in Hilversum on Monday.

Saturday 18^th May 2002

The problem is that most people today are unable to argue and disagree in an amicable and friendly fashion. In an increasingly aggressive world, they thrust their opinions upon you and are likely to rubbish you in the most belligerent manner if you contradict. The enthusiasm for some of the supporters whose letters were printed in The Local newspaper on Friday, for instance, was so idolatry that they seemed quite happy to see the entire town turned into a Raymond Mays theme park and you opposed them at your peril.

All of these letters, some of them wildly inaccurate and ill informed, were vehemently in favour of a memorial at any cost although 80% who participated in the web site poll did not. The final result indicates that a large majority are against the building of a six-foot high memorial to Mays on land adjoining Baldock’s Mill at the southern entrance to the town. We have not yet been told how wide it will be at the base but even with the proposed height, there have been suggestions that it is far too big and in the wrong place and that a more modest edifice in a less obtrusive location would be more suitable. The poll was overwhelmingly against the current proposal with a total of 247 votes cast, 206 (84%) of them against the present plans and 41 (16%) in favour.

A smaller monument, perhaps cairn-like, two or three feet in height, and in a less prominent place, would seem to be an acceptable alternative to most and as compromise is the best way to bring opposing sides together, this would appear to be the way forward. It is to be hoped that South Kesteven District Council will recognise this when they come to make their final decision because they still have to reconcile the location of this large structure next to a Grade II listed building, within the Conservation Area and surrounded by trees that are protected for their visual appeal. It is not an easy task.

The web site discussion did, however, throw up many new ideas and it is a pity that the organising committee did not canvas suggestions rather than nail their colours to the mast with their own proposal and then refuse to give the public a sight of it through an artist’s impression or even tell us who designed it. Our discussion forum was far more forthright and open. There was a particularly relevant suggestion from Nick Bannister who thought that the memorial should take the form of a sponsorship fund set up for a talented young local racing driver to make his mark in the sport. “Statues are static and retrospective rather than forward looking”, he wrote. “The money should be used to create a living memorial which will continue and enhance the town's strong connections with motor racing.”

Other suggestions worthy of consideration included putting the memorial on the strip of land alongside the Bourne Eau immediately opposite Eastgate House, lifetime home of Raymond Mays. This is a secluded spot and one that would do his gentle character and quiet nature more justice and one that he may well have approved. On the one occasion that we met, I found Mays unassuming and self-effacing. This was in March 1963 when, while working as a reporter for BBC Television, I covered the civic reception that Bourne Urban District Council gave for BRM at the Corn Exchange and I gathered that he disliked such public occasions and would have preferred far less fuss.

There are also the unanswered questions of why no one thought it sufficiently important to raise money when he died to buy him a headstone alongside his family in the town cemetery and instead he was cremated and his ashes were not preserved. Then in March 1994, the CBE awarded by the Queen at Buckingham Palace for his services to motor racing in 1978 was sold at Sotheby’s for under £400 yet no one from Bourne thought it worthwhile to buy it for the town as a memento of his achievements.

Ironically, the town was more generous when it came to buying the medals of our local Great War hero Charles Sharpe, who had worked as a cleaner for Raymond Mays at his BRM workshops in Spalding Road. When his Victoria Cross and campaign medals came up for sale at Christie’s auction rooms in London in 1989, more than £4,000 was raised but this was insufficient and South Kesteven District Council stepped in and bought them with £17,000 of ratepayers’ money and they are now on display not in Bourne, but at the council offices in Grantham. No such money was available for Raymond Mays.

Now I fear that those who want a part of him have taken over and wish to impose their passion for motor racing on his memory, more to their credit than his own. In short, Raymond Mays has been usurped by others for their own ends. If he were revered in this town as much as we are led to believe, then it is a pity that so few people visit the Memorial Room that was inaugurated in his name at the Heritage Centre in Baldock’s Mill in August 1999. This facility is open every weekend, on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, yet despite the efforts of those dedicated volunteers who regularly give their time as temporary curators, it frequently closes without a single caller.

NOTE: The number of visitors to the Bourne web site, which normally attracts an average of 500 a week, shot up by 30% during the poll and forum discussion on the Raymond Mays memorial. Both facilities are administered by independent service providers, the Bourne Forum by Network54 and the poll by Lycos, while our visitor counter is run by IPstat.

Vandals have struck another blow to our freedom here in Bourne by denying us one of the peaceful places to sit on weekend evenings. We arrived at the War Memorial Gardens at 5.30 p m on Saturday to find the gates being chained and padlocked and discovered that this has become a regular precaution against unwanted intruders who had been causing havoc around the cenotaph after a day of drinking in local public houses. Smashed glasses and broken bottles have been left littered around the area and their noisy carousing has become too much for Bourne United Charities who have empowered their staff to secure the gardens every Saturday and Sunday night to prevent a repetition.

This is a victory for the yobs because people such as ourselves have been denied one of the town’s amenities, provided in times past by men of goodwill who worked so hard for the community. It is also an insult to those gallant young men from this town who gave their lives in successive wars and are remembered here, an unfashionable sentiment these days but one that is no less potent. This sad and sorry story does not end there. Some of the seats alongside the main path through the Wellhead Gardens have been removed because, much to the annoyance of others, they had become a place for the louts to congregate, high on drink and often on drugs, and so what was once an oasis of peace and tranquillity for those wanting to enjoy the evening air has become a no go area here in the very middle of Bourne.

Few towns of a comparable size enjoy the open spaces that we have in this town and yet they are continually abused and vandalised and it is sad to say that the culprits are always the same age group, young people in their teens to early twenties. What a sad commentary this is on the freedoms they enjoy, all the benefits of the welfare state and a consumer society, and yet this is not enough for some who wish to destroy the quality of life for others. We are reaping the whirlwind of the liberal left wing ideas that have allowed such bad behaviour to flourish and reign while the authority figures of the past, the park keepers, the austere schoolmasters and other men in uniform, have disappeared for good. With them has gone the street presence of the policeman whose steadying hand in my youth deterred us from such wayward and anti-social conduct.

Until society has the will to reassert its authority over such transgressions, our freedoms will continue to be eroded. The streets and public places will become more threatening as our population increases and those who wish to live in peace will either move out or retreat to their homes and the town will take on the air of the inner city estate. This government is discovering that injunctions and banning orders do not work and have yet to learn that the tough approach of zero tolerance is the only way to restore peace and quiet to our public places. But this needs a determined government, resolute local authorities and a police force of dedication and zeal and, for whatever reason, we have none of these things and are unlikely to get them in the foreseeable future.

A naval historian in the United States has emailed for any information I have about HMS Beryl, a minesweeper with the Royal Navy fleet during World War Two that was adopted by the town of Bourne. This at first seems a most unlikely occurrence but is nonetheless true. The Beryl was a Hull fishing trawler bought by the Admiralty at the outbreak of war in 1939 and subsequently deployed in the Mediterranean during the Malta campaign.

The ship was adopted by this town during an official ceremony on the Abbey Lawn during Warships’ Week in 1942 when a staggering £54,000 (£1.5 million at today’s values) was collected in national savings. The Beryl survived the war and resumed fishing until it was broken up in 1963. I have researched the history of HMS Beryl that is added today to the Community Section of this web site and a copy is also on display at the Heritage Centre at Baldock’s Mill in Bourne.

Thought for the Week (1): I wonder how many of the people protesting against the memorial are natives of the town or even lived here in BRM's glory days. I for one am sick and tired of incomers trying to tell us what we should or shouldn't do. – anonymous contributor to the web site poll on the Raymond Mays memorial, Thursday 16th May 2002.

Thought for the Week (2): I still consider myself a relative newcomer to the town, arriving here in 1976. – Carolyn Corliss, spokesperson for the organising committee behind the Raymond Mays memorial project in a message to this web site, Sunday 12th May 2002.

Saturday 25^th May 2002

There was much public opposition to it being built on the grounds that it was too large and that its location in the market place, now the town centre, might frighten the horses. The magistrates who dispensed justice from the Town Hall, were also afraid that the fountain might overshadow the building but in the event, all objections were overruled and the project went ahead at a cost of £120 (almost £6,000 at today’s values), a sum that was quickly raised by public subscription, an indication of the high esteem in which he was held.

Ostler had died the previous year at the age of only 48 but during his short life he head learned how to make money and by 1856, he had become the biggest land and property owner in the locality. His many holdings included those premises along the banks of the Bourne Eau in Eastgate, the old coal yard, granary and sheds which he converted into a fellmonger’s yard, dealing in skins and hides, and in subsequent years to be taken over by Thomas Mays, then by his son Thomas and eventually by his grandson Raymond, although the company foundered under his stewardship. His business interests in Bourne also included the Maltings in West Street, now occupied by Warners Midlands plc, the printing company, as well as land holdings at Dyke and Cawthorpe where he lived at Cawthorpe Hall. His reputation is difficult to understand today because there is no one who occupies such a place in our society. He made money from this town but he also spent it here on charitable work, particularly on education and religion.

But what of his memorial, funded with such speed and enthusiasm in memory of a man who put the town of Bourne before his personal ambition? A committee was set up after he died in June 1859 and within seven months of his death, the money had been raised and the project put out to tender, the highest being from a London firm who quoted the sum of £177 and the lowest from Messrs John and James Sneath of Baston, who were in business as builders and bricklayers, which was finally accepted. The memorial was designed by Edward Browning, son of Bryan Browning who had been responsible for the Town Hall in 1821, and the stone was carved by Mr William Hilliam of Stamford who had earned himself a reputation for his fine work in the district. The unveiling ceremony took place in October 1860 when the local newspaper recorded: “It perpetuates the memory of the late John Lely Ostler Esq., a gentleman deservedly esteemed for his extensive benevolence whilst resident in this locality.”

An early photograph of the Ostler memorial drinking fountain taken circa 1870 and
showing the stepped plinth still intact. This was removed when the fountain was
later shifted to the other side of the market place.

The fountain was 18ft 6in high and stood on three steps of Yorkshire stone while the main monument was built from Portland stone and similar in architectural style to that which prevailed in England during the 14th century, popularly known as Decorated or middle pointed while the foliated capitals of the shafts were examples of the previous early English style. A continuous stream of water was provided free by the Bourne Waterworks Company, the surplus draining away through an interior pipe, and the supply had been so arranged that it could not be stolen for domestic purposes as few homes of the period had running water and usually relied on communal outside taps. This was indeed an elaborate memorial to a man who had been so highly revered in Bourne and for the philanthropy he had bestowed on the town.

It stood in the market place for 100 years and, when it was working, provided refreshment for townspeople, especially on market days when shoppers, farmers and stallholders would gather here to gossip and strike their bargains, although it soon became apparent that its days were numbered. By the mid-20th century, the horse had given way to the motor car and the memorial was in danger of impeding traffic flows. It was struck several times by passing vehicles and the stone steps on which it originally rested had been removed. Bourne Urban District Council decided that it had to go in the interests of road safety and in 1960, without any prior public consultation, workmen arrived with a lorry and started to dismantle the fountain.

Tom Jones, farmer and antique dealer, who lived at the Mill House in North Road, was passing when the memorial was being taken down and loaded stone by stone into a lorry and was horrified by what he saw. He asked the workmen what was going on and was told that their orders were to dismantle the fountain and take it down to the rubbish dump for disposal. Tom told them to stop work and marched into the Town Hall where he managed to persuade officials of Bourne Urban District Council that the memorial should be saved and so the pieces were preserved until it could be re-erected on a new site in the cemetery where it can still be seen today, a marvellous example of Victorian gothic architecture of which this town should be justly proud.

Meanwhile, Ostler’s grave in the town cemetery had already become forgotten and overgrown, vandalised or desecrated because the iron railings that once surrounded his handsome tombstone have gone, stolen either by scrap thieves or removed during the Second World War when the government mistakenly believed that ornamental metal such as this might help provide the raw materials for planes or munitions. I discovered it in 1999, hidden by weeds and lichen, with the help of cemetery supervisor Peter Ellis who kindly cleaned it down in order that I could take a photograph that can be seen on this web site together with a biography of John Lely Ostler.

Memorials reflect not only the lives of the people they are meant to perpetuate but also the tastes of those who erect them and as the passing decades reflect our changing tastes, they therefore soon become relics of past years. A walk through the town cemetery will provide proof of this because the leaning and decaying headstones of those who went before, worn by years of wind and weather, bear the names of so many who were important in their day but are now long forgotten. But every generation needs to honour its heroes. The pity is that the monuments we erect to them are likely to be forgotten as quickly as their lives.

A perceptive assessment of the merits for and against the proposed memorial for Raymond Mays and the motor racing industry in Bourne has been posted today on this web site. It has been written by Guy Cudmore and is the first balanced view of this controversial project, providing food for thought for both the motor racing enthusiasts who wish their plans to come to fruition without opposition and those concerned about the appearance of the town and feel that the edifice may be over enthusiastic and should be smaller and sited in a less obtrusive location.

Guy discusses whether the scheme is sound, without the restrictions of a fanatical dedication to motor sport or the absolute iconoclasm that surrounds the erection of memorials to our public heroes in sensitive places, and his views are required reading for all who live in Bourne and are concerned for its appearance. I commend it particularly to our councillors who will have the final say on whether it should or should not become part of the street scene.

The question on the web site poll this week was submitted by a Mr Warwick Banks who appears to be agitated about the state of this town and suggests that it is fast becoming a dump. Judging by the very small interest in this question that attracted less than 70 votes, it does not exercise the minds of many people, perhaps because they are much younger than our inquisitor and do not dwell on the good old days by which so many of our senior citizens judge the state of society today. The face of Britain has certainly changed in recent years but I doubt it would be any different if he decided to relocate in Bournemouth or Birmingham where he would soon discover that Bourne was a veritable haven of peace and tranquillity compared to those places.

Rather than concentrate on such a negative outlook, we ought to remember that Bourne, despite all of its faults and changes, and there are many, is still a welcoming place, especially to those who knew it in past times. I have just received an email from such a person, Mrs Heather Nash (née Brake), singing the praises of this town and this is what she has told me after a nostalgic visit to Bourne where she was born and brought up and married almost half a century ago, before emigrating to Canada and she now lives with her husband Richard at Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Heather is the granddaughter of William Henry Redshaw (1856-1943), a photographer with studio premises in North Street, and whose pictures of the town show Bourne as it was in past times, and she writes:

We have spent such an enjoyable holiday looking up old friends and acquaintances, reminiscing about old times and about all of the changes that have taken place in Bourne since we left. We were amazed at the development on the outskirts of the town and it is not to our liking because so much of it is the same. Over here in Canada, it is referred to as “cookie-cutter housing”.

We walked around Bourne Wood and saw the work that had been done there. It was lovely. This is where I walked with my sisters when I was young and where we spent so many happy hours as children. We also had a wonderful outing to our favourite bluebell spot at Dole Wood, near Thurlby, where the flowers were in full bloom and we strolled through the Wellhead Gardens in Bourne which are so beautifully kept, much more so than in our schooldays. The trees were all in blossom but we noticed that the walnut trees had disappeared and I remember that we scrumped the nuts off the trees and were chased off by the park keeper Rettie Green who terrified us all. He caught us once and threatened to take us to the police station but we gave false names. I was Vera Bacon!

The grammar school too, that I attended as a girl, has grown enormously from the small buildings of my days and we hear from our friends that all of the schools in the town have an excellent reputation. But the Market Square was disappointing. The fountain had gone and what a pity it was not moved to the War Memorial Gardens rather than the cemetery. Also, the Dinky sweetshop where we spent many happy hours is no more. It is now a barber’s shop. The Thursday market is not the same either. It used to be a day to look forward to when it was held along the kerbside in the streets and we used to walk up and down the stalls where there was always something new to see or buy. And the Tudor Cinema is now a Chinese restaurant, not quite as I remember from the film matinees of my childhood. My mother’s wool shop was located next door and the police station was on the corner of North Street and Burghley Street but now moved to West Street. I remember being put in one of the cells for half an hour to teach me a lesson, a punishment arranged by my parents with the co-operation of the local constabulary who were our neighbourhood friends. A very frightening experience for a young girl and I have never forgotten it.

One sad and sorry sight was No 49 North Street, the end house in the terrace that was our home for 30 years. Although the front is more or less intact, the back part has been demolished and our lovely big garden where we played as children has disappeared. When I lived there, these houses were beautifully maintained and were a joy to my mother. Still, it is good to know that these houses will be restored rather than pulled down because they are a distinctive part of Bourne’s heritage although at the moment, our old house does look a rather forlorn and lonely place and no longer the cosy home I remember.

The Abbey Church where we were married 50 years ago is beautifully maintained and the flower arrangements were stunning. In the churchyard, we found the grave marker of our great great grandfather John Redshaw (1761-1834), a saddler from North Street, and his wife Elizabeth, which made me realise that I still very much belong to Bourne.

This was a very nostalgic trip for us and we have you to thank for enabling us to link up with family and friends through your wonderful web site.

Thought for the Week: It is claimed that Bourne is a town in which one may live a happy, healthy and contented life. – from the official guide to Bourne town for 1969.

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