Saturday 2^nd August 2003

Compulsory vaccination is abhorrent to many parents and although such decisions are now left to them, the law can intervene if there is a disagreement between them. Such was the case when two mothers refused to have their daughters given the MMR jab because of concerns over its safety but they ended up in court when the fathers insisted that they should have it.

The women said that they did not want their children to be given any vaccinations, not just the MMR, but the decision went against them at the High Court hearing in June when Mr Justice Sumner ruled that the girls, aged five and 10, should be vaccinated against mumps, measles and rubella.

Still challenging the decision, the two mothers took their case to the Court of Appeal but the ruling announced on Wednesday decided that their objections were invalid and that it was in the best interests of the two girls to be given the three-in-one jab. The ruling has also received the backing of the British Medical Association although it has been criticised by anti-MMR campaigners, including the pressure group Jabs.

Vaccine therapy is a method of curing and preventing infective diseases by inoculation with causative micro-organisms in modified form but the decision has often been a difficult one for parents when their children are involved and when the vaccine is a new one. This was also the climate of opinion during the 19th century when awareness of smallpox in particular was at its height, especially so in Bourne where there had been a serious outbreak in 1893 among railway navvies, the workhouse inmates and elsewhere although the extent of the infection was suppressed by the authorities and no records exist of the subsequent mortality rate.

But smallpox was a highly contagious and killer disease and so vaccination, that is inoculation with cow pox in order to afford protection from infection, became compulsory by Act of Parliament in 1853 and required parents to procure vaccination of their children within three months from birth, unless they could satisfy a court of petty sessions that they had a conscientious belief that such vaccination would be injurious to the health of the child, although this legislation was subsequently amended to vaccination within six months by a further Act in 1898.

In Bourne, the Board of Guardians was responsible for community health, employing a number of vaccination officers to ensure that the ruling was carried out, namely John Thomas Bell of Abbey road for the Bourne district, William Whitfield (Aslackby), Fred Pennington (Market Deeping) and George Henry Clark (Corby Glen). In addition they employed several Medical Officers of Health and Public Vaccinators: Dr James Watson Burdwood for the Bourne district and Dr Thomas Blasson (Billingborough), Dr Alexander Grieve Young (Castle Bytham), Dr Augustus Charles Greenwood (Corby Glen), Dr Henry Thomas Benson (Market Deeping) and Dr John Galletly (Rippingale).

Surveillance of parents was therefore strict and it was almost impossible for mothers who had just given birth to avoid vaccination without facing the consequences. In 1896, the board received reports that only 130 children had been vaccinated out of 602 that had been born and at their meeting on Thursday 11th June, members decided that steps should be taken to enforce the Act. Mr E J Grummitt, the proposer, said: "As the law stands, we have no option and it is our duty to see the law enforced."

The clerk to the guardians, Mr Cecil Bell, was therefore instructed to notify the parents of all unvaccinated children that the guardians would take steps to enforce the Act in all cases where they failed to comply during the month of October. Most of the parents did comply but 28 did not and the board issued summonses against them for neglecting to have their children vaccinated within three months of their birth. The 28 accused were:

Arthur Wall, the Rev Thomas Hughes Parker (the Congregational minister), William Birch, Joseph Harrison, James Morgan James, John Kettle, Frederick Thomas Palmer, Maria Mason, Joseph Samson, Henry Hewood, Jabez Phillips Scotney, John William Clarke, Edward Black, James Gribble, William Nowell, Thomas Rhodes and Thomas Henry Collin, all from Bourne; Samuel Rawlinson (Bourne Fen); John Thomas Ward (Scottlethorpe); William Stokes, John Rawlinson junior, John Edward Fowler, Anthony Elsom and Edward Baker (Morton); John William Dalton and William Marvin (Morton Fen); Charles Thomas Woolmer (Witham-on-the-Hill); and Edward Gray (Manthorpe).

The children in respect of whom they were summoned were born in the years 1893, 1894, 1895 and 1896, and the prosecutions became a talking point in the town where the accused parents became known as "the anti-vaccinators".

The case came before the magistrates sitting at the Town Hall on Thursday 11th February 1897. Mr Bell, who prosecuted for the guardians, told the court that proceedings against the defendants had been delayed for 14 days to give them a further chance to have their children vaccinated and four had subsequently complied. He had also learned that day that Rhodes had agreed to have his little girl vaccinated but was not well enough at the present time and a medical certificate to this effect was produced. The case against him was therefore dismissed. The defendant Stokes had also undertaken to comply with the law and the summons against him was also withdrawn. 

This left cases against 22 defendants outstanding and all were adjourned. When the guardians met on March 6th, there was an abortive attempt to have the cases dropped because of the continuing expenses in court, which had already cost them 28 summonses at two shillings each and two guineas costs, as well as fees for the advice of an eminent Queen's Counsel, but this proposal was defeated and on August 9th, the magistrates issued an order that all of the children be vaccinated within 28 days and all of the parents subsequently complied.

The restoration of the two wheels at Baldock's Mill in South Street continues on course and Jim Jones, the engineer in charge, has already installed the smaller replica and is now working on the second, larger one. This is the biggest single project since the building was taken over by the Civic Society in 1983 and will bring the mill to life again after it stopped working in 1924 when all of the machinery involved in corn grinding was removed because it had become damaged and was beyond repair. 

During its working life, the mill wheel was 15 feet in diameter by 3 feet wide and the smaller flywheel measured 5 feet by 12 inches. It is these two wheels that are to be restored. Jim drew up working diagrams during the summer of 2002, using his past experience as an engineering draughtsman, showing a large wheel made of hardwood and measuring 10 feet in diameter by 35 inches in width, smaller than the original, although this will be largely decorative, and a second wheel made of steel to the original size. This will be a working wheel and will eventually harness the water power in the mill race to generate electricity for use within the building.

Particular regard has been paid to the materials used in the restoration such as seasoned timbers, mild steel and others. The large wheel will be 5 feet smaller than the original because extensive repairs took place at the mill 20 years ago to strengthen the building and make it suitable for public use and these specifications cannot be changed because, since 1973, the mill has been a Grade II listed building. This wheel is designed to simulate the original action of past years and a coin slot taking 50p and £1 pieces will enable the public feed a small transmission unit to keep it turning while they are visiting and so add to the funds for the project.

The paddles on the wheels will be a reasonably close tolerance to the walls of the mill race to harness as much water power as possible. The small wheel will drive a multiplier gear box and in turn, a generator, producing sufficient electricity to supply four storage heaters in the building which currently constitute the main burden of the mill's £300 a quarter electricity bill and so this will be a "green" bonus for the project. This wheel will be connected to a separate circuit to isolate it from the mains, thus enabling the society to keep track of the power and savings generated. Plate glass viewing windows already in situ will allow visitors to see the wheels in action.

Work began last year when Jim Jones drew up the plans and since the materials began to arrive in October, he has been engaged most days on their fitting and assembly. A target completion date of late summer is now a reality and the official opening of the project has been fixed for Saturday 13th September to coincide with Heritage Weekend. 

This is a challenging and major scheme for the early 19th century corn mill and the total outlay is estimated in excess of £12,000, funded mainly through grants from the local authorities, primarily Lincolnshire County Council. The Civic Society, who are custodians of the mill and use it as a Heritage Centre for the benefit of the community, would no doubt like a fairy godmother to wave her magic wand and produce a benefactor who would guarantee these and other costs but in the absence of such an instant solution, they depend entirely on grants and, more particularly, on volunteer labour and assistance. There is always something to do if you are willing to help and for those who feel so inclined, then the first step would be to join the society and you will find a membership application form on the web site. This is a welcoming organisation for those interested in our history and heritage and you would also have the satisfaction of knowing that you were participating in worthwhile projects for the good of the town.

An elderly gentleman accompanied by his wife called in at the Heritage Centre on Saturday afternoon and after taking a good look round, remarked to Jim Jones who was busy working on the mill wheels: "They are my crutches upstairs." And indeed they were because the pair of wooden crutches on display belonged to Jack Cox, the former Bourne bank clerk, who used them to escape after being shot down over Germany during the Second World War.

He is now 80 years old and had motored up from his home at Limpsfield, near Oxted, Surrey, to take a look at his home town and the museum where his crutches are on show together with the story of his remarkable escape. He was serving as a flight-lieutenant in the Royal Air Force and piloting a Lancaster bomber on a mission over Nuremburg on 16th March 1945 when his aircraft was shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter. Jack parachuted to safety in a wood with a splinter from a cannon shell in his leg and was eventually picked up and taken to hospital. He remained there for five weeks and, with the Allies advancing, the Germans tried to evacuate the patients but he saw the chance to escape and pedalled off on a stolen cycle with the crutches he had been given propped over the handlebars. His parents, who lived at 95, North Road, had been informed that he had been officially posted missing but he turned up safe and well by returning home to Bourne in time to celebrate VE-Day on 8th May 1945. Jack's recent trip was a nostalgic one and his visit to the Heritage Centre memorable because he left a message in the visitor's book saying: "Very impressive."

What the local papers are saying: The August issue of the County News dropped through our letter boxes this week purporting to tell us all about what is going on in Lincolnshire this summer, where to go and what to do. This is a free colour publication produced by Lincolnshire County Council and delivered by the Royal Mail to 316,000 homes, and so you will appreciate that this is a costly exercise using public money. It tells us nothing new because all of the features, on road accidents, home care, education, wildlife, youth activities, the emergency services and so on, have all been well covered by other media in the county, as have the pages of "What's On" activities. But the cost of this undertaking must be vast and as a council tax payer, I would prefer that the large amounts of money that I am obliged to pay each year should be spent on improving services rather than to support this apparently unnecessary undertaking. There is also a thought for those who live in Bourne. Despite running to 20 pages, this town does not get a single mention, either in editorial or advertising, and so as far as Lincolnshire County Council is concerned, it would appear that we do not even exist. Perhaps the council leader, Councillor Ian Croft, who is also the member for Bourne Castle ward, might point this out to the editorial staff who boast on one page about the "unbeatable coverage" they are providing throughout the county.

Bourne Hospital has finally been bulldozed out of existence and developers are preparing to start building 70 new homes on the site. But according to The Local, the town council plans to recommend street names with a medical connection for the estate, such as some of the general practitioners who served the town in past years (August 1st). Top of the list is Dr George Holloway (1905-1967) whose surgery was based at Brook Lodge in South Street, now converted into flats. He was a half-brother of the actor, the late Stanley Holloway, and was a family doctor with a wide involvement in the community and its administration because he also served on Kesteven County Council and Bourne Urban District Council, becoming their chairman in 1957-58. We already have a street named after Dr John (Alistair) Galletly (1899-1993) and there are many others from past times who might also be considered including his sister Dr Ruth Finn, Dr James Watson Burdwood, Dr Robert Brown, and another who distinguished himself in many areas of Bourne life, Dr John Gilpin, who worked here during the early years of the 20th century and was one of the first people in the town to own a motor car.

An unusual tale which appears in the Stamford Mercury informs us that timber from Bourne Wood is perfect for making sticks used in hurling, which is Ireland's national game (August 1st). Specialists from the Forestry Commission have been searching their woodland sites across country for a suitable material but as soon as they saw our local ash trees, their quest was over. It appears that 12 sticks can be produced from a single tree using the lower part of the trunk with the flat club end of the stick being carved from the spread area around the root. Hurling must be a popular sport because the sports equipment company involved has now ordered ten tonnes of timber for this purpose. Forester John Wilcockson was most surprised: "It is the most extraordinary order I have ever received", he said.

Thoughts for the week (1): Tony Bliar - name on T-shirts advertised for sale in Private Eye, 25th July-7th August 2003.

Thought for the Week (2): Needless to say, the President is correct, whatever it was he said. - United States Department of Defence briefing quoted by The Oldie magazine, August 2003.

Saturday 9^th August 2003

The hot weather has dominated the news this week and here in Bourne, temperatures soared into the nineties which gave a welcome boost to one of our best-loved leisure facilities, the outdoor swimming pool adjoining the Abbey Lawn.

This has always been a favourite haunt of young and old during the summer months and in the past few days the pool has been crowded. Throughout Monday, 1,500 people turned up for a swim and on Tuesday, for only the second time in 14 years, the gates were closed by midday because the pool had reached capacity and admission was restricted to a system of one in one out.

Both of our main newspapers, The Local and the Stamford Mercury, gave the pool excellent coverage (August 8th) with colour photographs and many column inches of space which will delight the Bourne Outdoor Pool Preservation Trust that works so hard to keep this project afloat because there is a constant need for cash to meet continuing overheads each year to keep it going. It was only last May that the trust issued a warning saying "Use it or lose it" with the hope that the weather would be fine enough to attract more swimmers. The heat wave therefore was a dream come true for those volunteers who keep it going. The trust chairman, Mrs Mandy Delaine-Smith, who has been involved with the pool for the past five years, was delighted. "This is the best season I have known", she said. "We made such a significant loss last year that we needed a profitable season to keep us going and we knew that the people would come with the sunshine."

The outdoor pool is so well established that it is difficult to imagine it being sited anywhere else other than the Abbey Lawn yet this could have happened had plans that were drawn up during the late 19th century come to fruition.

Public bathing was becoming popular in Britain at this time and the idea of an outdoor pool for the town was originally mooted at a public meeting held at the Angel Hotel on Thursday 18th June 1891 when the vicar, the Rev Hugh Mansfield, took the chair. Various sites were put forward and one of the most surprising ideas came from Mr John Gibson, a corn merchant and maltster, of West Street, who suggested using St Peter's Pool but the idea was rejected because it would involve too much boarding up that would deface this picturesque spot which, it was pointed out, was home to kingfishers and other rare birds and would therefore be regarded with considerable disfavour.

An expanse of water 200 yards west of Shilcock's Mill, now Baldock's Mill, was suggested next because this had been a favourite haunt for generations of Bourne boys but there were objections to this too because it might interfere with the rights of mill owners, Bourne having three working watermills dependent on the Bourne Eau in those days, the others being Cliffe's Mill and Notley's Mill. Mr Arthur Saul, a local auctioneer, told the meeting: "Whatever is taken up in Bourne will be taken up well, carried through with energy and completed thoroughly. I am in favour of the idea but whichever site is selected, the question of the right of way must be considered." He therefore suggested that a deputation be appointed to meet with the Marquess of Exeter, then Lord of the Manor of Bourne and a principal landowner.

Mr Edward Hill, manager of Cliffe's Mill in West Street, was strongly in favour of securing an independent water supply for the swimming pool. "There are abundant springs in the vicinity, any of which would furnish a splendid and unfailing stream", he said.

After a lively discussion, a committee was appointed with the vicar as chairman and Messrs Robert Shilcock, Robert Mason Mills, Arthur Saul, Cecil Bell, John Gibson and A MacDonald, as members. Their first task was to draw up a report for consideration at a future meeting which they did the following Tuesday when their assessment of the situation was not good. The report rejected the proposed sites as impracticable and suggested another location, a pond known as Burdwood's Pit, a stretch of water owned by Dr James Watson Burdwood, the Medical Officer of Health, but was in reality little more than an extension of the Car Dyke and located at the base of the embankment of the Bourne to Sleaford railway line. At the south end, it had a depth of 16 feet and the north end was shallower. "We are of the opinion that it could easily be made suitable", concluded the report.

This adverse report effectively ended the swimming pool project for the time being. On Friday 18th September 1891, the Stamford Mercury reported: "We believe that though the committee entrusted with the formation of the Bourne baths have encountered unexpected difficulties in carrying out their plans, they have by no means relinquished the idea of securing a suitable site for public swimming baths."

But this optimism was unfounded and the idea was shelved for almost three years until it was revived by a member of the original committee, Cecil Bell, a local solicitor, who chose a piece of land to the south of St Peter's Pool as the site, then known as Mr Gibson's Home Paddock but today it is part of the Wellhead Gardens. He engaged an architect who specialised in the design of swimming baths and plans were drawn up and estimates for the work obtained from contractors. 

They provided for a pool that would be fed direct from the stream leading to the Wellhead because the water here was warmer than that direct from the springs, a very important consideration for bathers. The outlet would be into the backwater stream, thus interfering only with one mill, which was most likely Cliffe's Mill. The bath would be 90ft. by 40ft., the depth varying from 3ft. 6in. to 6ft. and the floor laid from 400 cubic yards of super cement. Provision would also be made for eight dressing boxes and an open central shed, all covered in, and the complex surrounded by durable fencing 7ft. 6in. in height to ensure the strictest privacy.

Once the plans were completed, Mr Bell called a public meeting to find out if there was sufficient support in the town for the project and it was arranged to be held at the Angel Hotel on Wednesday 11th April 1894. On the Friday before the meeting, the Stamford Mercury reported: "Bourne will soon possess a capital swimming bath if Mr Bell's scheme is taken up with the generous and enthusiastic spirit it deserves. The plans, which have been excellently prepared by a gentleman who thoroughly understands the work, show a diving board and steps. The entire scheme is in business-like order and will doubtless meet with unanimous approval." 

Mr Bell told the meeting that the project had been costed at £300 [almost £20,000 in today's money] and added: "I believe that the work will prove both enduring and profitable. So far as raising the money is concerned, I think we might be able to raise £200 in voluntary subscriptions."

Mr James Shilcock, landlord of the Nag's Head Hotel, suggested the formation of a limited liability company and this was agreed. The chairman of the meeting, Mr Alexander Farr, also a solicitor, said that Kesteven County Council had the power to establish bath and wash houses but in this matter they deemed a voluntary effort preferable to official intervention. The meeting concluded with unanimous support for the project and it was resolved to appoint a committee and delegate the arrangements to them and a report on their progress would be presented to a future town meeting.

The elected committee met at the Corn Exchange on Saturday 14th April and enthusiasm for the scheme was still running high. The members reported on two courses of action, firstly that Mr Bell would attempt to raise the required £300 voluntarily and secondly that the work should be left to the parish council which was due to be elected in November, the town's first such body formed as a result of the Local Government Act of 1894. The committee also decided to canvas opinion in the town as to whether the required capital could be subscribed in the form of ten-shilling shares in a limited liability company.

In the event, there was insufficient financial support forthcoming from the public and by the time the new parish council was elected, there was so much business to be dealt with that the swimming baths never reached the agenda and by the end of the year, the idea had fizzled out. In the meantime, bathers were using the pool near Bourne Abbey that was originally a carp pond to provide fish for the monks and soon after the Great War ended in 1918, it was converted into public swimming baths by keen local swimmers. Bourne United Charities took over in 1922 and, as they say, the rest is history. Major improvement work was carried out and there has been a progressive programme of improvement ever since, particularly in recent years, and this work has turned it into one of the finest remaining lidos in the country of which Bourne can be justly proud.

What the local papers are also saying: A welcome police presence is back on the streets of Bourne, according to The Local. Special Constable Ian Davison has been out and about tackling some of the problems in the town such as catching motorists with invalid tax discs and car occupants not wearing seat belts (August 8th). He told the newspaper: "I can help provide a reassuring sight to all people in Bourne, a factor that is paramount." No one would argue with that but it does seem a pity that his target appears to be car owners rather than criminals.

The Stamford Mercury tells us that the summer heat wave does have a sting in it because it has also increased the wasp population in homes and gardens in and around Bourne (August 8th). Town Clerk Mrs Nelly Jacobs, who has been in the job for four years, said: "I have more complaints about wasps' nests than I can remember" while pest control officers at South Kesteven District Council have been called out 218 times in a month. If you have a similar problem and plan to deal with it yourself, then beware because these insects can inflict a nasty sting and so cover yourself from head to foot first.

The Bourne Internet web site is five years old this week, a small milestone in the larger scheme of things but noteworthy in the world of cyberspace where longevity is generally uncommon.

In that second week of August, 1998, we had only a few pages and it took us many months, in some cases years, to be acknowledged by the big search engines, a necessary factor if you wish to be read, but we are now represented on most of them, particularly Google which is by far the fastest and the best on the Internet today.

Unfortunately, I did not keep a record of those early days on disc but I do remember that most of our current features have been added since, including the Photograph of the Week, Family History and Friends of Bourne, all of which have become extremely popular. The Diary too began shortly afterwards, in November 1998, and has been published most weeks since, this issue being number 234, commenting on current affairs in and around the town, almost half a million words telling of various aspects of our heritage and history. It is now 50MB in size and contains over 1,000 pages and almost 700 photographs, giving a glimpse of this small Lincolnshire market town from the earliest times to the present day. On the way, we have collected eight awards, notably the Golden Web Award in July 2000 for excellence in web design, content and creativity, and the Médaille d'Or for web site excellence in April 2001.

This year, we have introduced a new feature using articles written by prominent people and those invited to contribute to date include our MP, Mr Quentin Davies, the member for Grantham and Stamford, Councillor Linda Neal, Leader of South Kesteven District Council, and many others who play an important role in our affairs. But you do not need to be a household name to contribute and if you have something to say about our town, past or present, then there is a platform here for you.

The web site is now read around the world and has not only reunited families, but has also enabled many people who left these shores for foreign parts to keep in touch with their home town. I have recently begun recording those places where our visitors live, averaging around 500 a week, and it is an enlightening geographical lesson to read them. The United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Lapland, Russia, Thailand, Japan and China, Finland, Argentina and Brazil can all be found in Visitor Countries and if you have been missed, then please email and you will be added to our list. I am also always ready for suggestions that might improve the web site and so if you have any ideas, I would be grateful if you would let me know. In the meantime, please keep logging on. We hope to be around to celebrate our tenth anniversary in 2008.

From the archives: A CLEVER CAPTURE: About four o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, Mr George Coales, butcher, Market Place, Bourne, missed a loin of mutton that had been exposed for sale in his shop. He at once gave information to the police. At first, no clue whatsoever could be obtained as to the delinquent as no one had been seen about this time in the locality. Police Constable Fowler, who is well known throughout the district as an astute detective, speedily instituted a searching examination. At twenty minutes past four, he entered the Royal Oak inn and noticed four navvies busily engaged roasting a fine joint of mutton. By cautious inquiries, his suspicion fell upon one of them. Indeed, the chain of evidence was so complete that Constable Fowler charged him with the theft. The navvy frankly admitted it, saying it was no use denying his guilt as he had been fairly tracked down. At 4.30 pm, the prisoner was received into custody at the Bourne police station. The case deserves record as a smart piece of police work. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 17th July 1891. 

Thought for the week: Few people can be happy unless they hate some other person, nation or creed. - Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), British philosopher, ardent pacifist and campaigner for nuclear disarmament.

Saturday 16^th August 2003

The nine days wonder is a phenomenon of popular journalism, something that causes a great sensation for a short spell and then passes into the limbo of things forgotten. In newspaper terms, it is that story which commands headlines for a time and is then consigned to the cuttings library. Editors work on the presumption that the attention span of their readers is short and that they soon become bored if the same story is given prominence for too long, no matter how many new developments there may be.

Politicians know this and a recent manifestation is the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which in an ideal world should threaten the future of the government if they are not found, but instead, new stories appear to replace the space this issue should be occupying on the front page. The newspapers have moved on to their next subject, such as the dodgy dossier affair, Dr David Kelly and the Hutton inquiry, and WMD that once exploded on the scene like a rocket, incandescent with the anger and indignation it engendered just a few weeks ago, is now little more than a damp squib in our conversation.

We have many such topics locally, the shutting of the public lavatories in South Street, the Elsea Park housing development and boarded up shops in the town centre, all of which have occupied many inches of column space in our newspapers but now barely rate a mention and when they do, readers yawn and say to themselves: "Oh no, not that hoary old story again!"

Recent events at the Abbey Primary School in Bourne have suffered a similar fate. The controversial redundancy of a much-loved and highly respected teacher, Mrs Elizabeth Robinson, after 18 years of loyal service, because of a £67,000 shortfall in the budget, no longer commands space in our local newspapers and any further discussion on the subject was edged out last week by the scorching temperatures and the annual Deepings Raft Race.

This is a pity because this story has by no means been concluded yet the oft-stated wish of the chairman of the governors, Councillor John Kirkman, to have this matter laid to rest, appears to have been fulfilled not because the curiosity of the public has been satisfied but by the mores of the newspaper industry. This is probably a good thing for the staff and pupils because the new school year will start in a few weeks' time without this issue still hanging over them although its aftermath will no doubt be cautious whispering among the staff in the corridors when they refer to it as "the Robinson affair". But it is unlikely to make headlines again as the editors abandon it and move on to other things.

This is an unsatisfactory conclusion to this particular nine-day wonder because of the reluctance of the governors to make a full and frank statement on the events leading up to their decision, but perhaps they will learn from the mistakes that many believe they made this time round when they meet to deliberate on behalf of the school in the future.

The neglected state of St Peter's Pool has been causing concern for some weeks, mainly because of the increased growth of algae during the hot weather and also because of the amount of rubbish being thrown in and left there, creating an eyesore in what should be a beauty spot and one of the town's main attractions.

This is one of the country's most ancient artesian wells, a water source going back to the earliest times around which successive peoples made their settlements that eventually became the town of Bourne. It has been well kept in years past but is has also been ill-used and in the late 19th century, the pool became a popular place for pet owners to wash their dogs, and even a convenient spot to dispose of them when they were dead, practices that many people found unacceptable and there were protests to the authorities that they were likely to contaminate the water supply. 

These were the days before the formation of the local councils that now run our affairs and the Wellhead at that time was under the control of the Rural Sanitary Authority. The Bourne Union, administered by a Board of Guardians, was mainly responsible for all other local matters, including the workhouse, later St Peter's Hospital and now demolished, which overlooked the Wellhead. The master, Alfred Yates, was one of the principal objectors, and his complaint was supported by the local correspondent of the Stamford Mercury who at that time was Joseph Davies, headmaster of the Boys' Council or Board School, now the Abbey Road Primary School. 

On Friday 10th July 1891 he published a report in the newspaper saying: 

Mr Yates is perfectly justified in complaining of the nuisance of the owners of dogs and other animals utilising the Wellhead as a bath for their charges. The water is the direct source of supply for the workhouse and we are only surprised that the complaint was not made before. We venture to say that the most enthusiastic temperance advocate would find his principles somewhat shaken if, suffering from the thirst that attacks most poor mortals in sultry weather, his only local options lay between a glass of Wyles's ale [from Bourne Brewery] and a glass of Wellhead water, in which dogs big and dogs little, dogs woolly and dogs smooth, with the dirt and fleas upon them, had previously left these superfluous concrescences in solution. 

There are still a few liberty-loving citizens surviving who tenaciously cling to the idea that rivers and streams are the cemeteries that nature has provided for their ailing cats and dogs and there, with an appended brick by way of an epitaph, they consign their remains. We would mildly suggest to these patriots, the prejudice of their other fellow citizens to having in their cheery cup of tea a canine or feline infusion. Seriously speaking, it appears to us a mere matter of common sense. Whatever the law may be, the Board of Guardians will be only doing their duty in apprising the police of the matter and effectively preventing, by any reasonable means, the contamination of that most important of all hygienic regulation - a supply of pure water. Probably the offenders have erred without due thought. We believe they will quite see the force of our appeal and scrub their dogs at home.

The Bourne Union met on July 9th to consider the various complaints and the guardians recommended that the Rural Sanitary Authority take the necessary action to stop the washing of dogs and in the meantime, notices would be posted around the pool warning offenders.

But the debris we see floating in the pool today, fast food cartons, bottles and sweet wrappers, does not compare with the grisly discovery made in 1870. The Stamford Mercury reported on Friday 21st January:

Considerable excitement was created in Bourne on Sunday by the announcement that a portion of the body of a child had been discovered by some boys in the Wellhead. Information of the fact reached the police and in the course of the day, the Wellhead and the backwater of the mill stream were searched but without discovering anything further. The portion of the body found was an arm (from the shoulder) of a newly-born infant, contained in a box, with a stone attached to it by a string, and was found only a few feet from the side of the Wellhead. On the evening of the same day, information was volunteered to the superintendent of police by the person who threw into the Wellhead the box and contents as described, and he gave the following explanation of the affair: "A short time since, a medical student (a friend of the informant's) came to Bourne on a visit and brought with him the arm in question for the purpose of some experiments. On returning to the medical college, he inadvertently left it behind him. He, however, wrote to his friend to bury it, by which it was proposed to do in the garden. To this there was some demur, and the young friend unwisely determined to throw it into the Wellhead. This was done on the evening of the 10th instant, and it was discovered on the 16th., as previously stated." From the information thus volunteered, and from inquiries made by the police, there can be no doubt that there has been no child destroyed, as was supposed when the discovery was made. 

What the local newspapers are saying: The Post Office in West Street, opened in 1981 to serve the expanding town, is to close, and that is official. The Herald & Post informs us (August 14th) that the announcement was made on Monday and that by the end of the year, services will have been transferred to the back of a liquor store fifty yards down the street towards the town centre. The most telling part of their report is a statement from Mark Guilfoyle, line manager for Post Office Ltd, who said: "This follows a four-week period of consultation where we listened to the concerns of our customers." I can only suggest that Mr Guilfoyle is talking about another town for had he listened to what the people of Bourne have been saying on this issue, then he would not have found a single voice in agreement with his plans, whether it be the local councils, business, commerce or the people themselves. It certainly sounds like Newspeak, full of euphemism, ambiguity and an intention to hide the truth.

The move has particularly angered The Local which devotes its front page to an account of its "Hands off our Post Office" campaign earlier this year (August 15th). "Despite this, and a petition signed by over 2,000 protesters, the combined voice of Bourne and its people has been blatantly ignored", says the newspaper which also carries a series of interviews with townspeople, most of whom agree that the new premises will be crowded, cramped and generally inconvenient.

It would now seem that this move has been a fait accompli ever since it was first mooted by the Post Office management last January and has depended entirely on their own arrangements for switching the business and not on the opinions of its customers. There was a time when the Post Office enjoyed an enviable reputation for its standards of service, reliability and the loyalty it engendered, but all of that is now in the past. This move will alienate the entire town and no matter what the reason, will be seen as the most foolish and unpopular decision that this organisation has ever made and one that will most certainly signal a downward slide for customer services in this area. 

The hot weather of recent days is causing concern for the police who report a significant increase in sneak-in burglaries in the area and they believe that opportunist thieves are taking advantage of a lapse in security measures by homeowners who have been leaving doors and windows open in their attempts to keep cool. A particularly revealing incident is related in the Stamford Mercury by Sergeant Steve Gallant of Bourne that should make us all stop and think. "I went out for a drive around the town and stopped at a house where the garage was open", he said. "I went to find the owner and couldn't believe how easy it was to gain access to the property. There was a back door which lead into the garden but it was open and I could see a handbag inside. I stood there for quite some time before I called out and then when someone did appear, I explained to them the error of their ways. People should be vigilant about their property and keep doors and windows locked when they are not around, whatever the weather."

Some weeks ago, I wrote about the changing values in our society when I saw a small boy disdainfully throw a penny down the drain after being given it in change at a local supermarket. This week, we witnessed more irresponsible conduct by our young people when we found a group of lads playing in the alleyway alongside the Post Office, leading from West Street to the Burghley Street car park. 

There were four of them, all aged about ten, two on either side of the passage to form a square, and they were throwing raw eggs from one to another, the object being to catch them without dropping. This was apparently a new game and they were not very good at it yet because there were two or three smashed eggs on the stone slabs where they had missed the catch although they had plenty in reserve because there were two cartons on the floor, each originally containing half a dozen eggs.

My wife was particularly concerned about this unusual pastime and she stopped and talked to the boys about it, suggesting that they might be wasting eggs that could have been taken home to their mothers and cooked for their tea with a plate of chips, but this entreaty fell on deaf ears, as would a lecture on the starving millions in Africa and elsewhere, and they continued with such a ridiculous and improvident entertainment, smashing more eggs as they progressed. 

Like the wayward penny, an egg was not a common commodity in my boyhood during the 1930s and to have a whole one at breakfast or tea was a rare treat. To see this mindless behaviour from boys today was particularly galling and as my wife wondered later, how and from where had they obtained the eggs?

Message from abroad: I wanted to drop you a line about a nice thing that just happened as a result of your Family History section. Last week, a woman in Australia contacted me to say that she had viewed your web site and noticed my entry for Smeaton. We are now swapping details about our ancestors and both of our families have visited Manthorpe, Witham-on-the-Hill and Bourne, looking for our family roots. It is interesting to note that back in 1877, it took one year for my great great grandfather to learn that his father, David Smeaton, had died. Today, with the Internet, two great great great granddaughter's have communicated a common interest in a matter of minutes and it all started with your wonderful website. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for all you do to keep descendents of former residents as well as your current community informed about Bourne and the surrounding areas. It is truly the best, most informative village web site I've seen to date. - email from Kathy McCullough, Roselle Park, New Jersey, USA, Monday 11th August 2003.

Thought for the week: If you ask a young person nowadays to describe his character, the chances are that he will describe himself as very caring, for self-praise can go no higher. Of course, if you ask him to turn his radio down, he is likely to return you a very different answer. - Dr Theodore Dalrymple, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, 10th August 2003.

Saturday 23^rd August 2003

A few days ago, I visited the graveyard at the Abbey Church to photograph some tombstones for a visitor to this web site from America who is researching his family tree and who had discovered that his ancestors from the 18th century were buried there. I found the stone memorials, four of them, but before I could take my pictures, I had to clear the area of rubbish and other debris that was lying around.

The churchyard is a focal point for visitors and yet it is usually in a very unsightly state, overgrown with weeds and nettles (there was even a tomato plant growing in the south porch), and littered with rubbish of various sorts, including plastic bags, fast food cartons and wrappers, tin cans, a decaying games table and, more disturbingly, dozens of empty bottles, most of which once contained alcohol.

The implication of such a large number of bottles is quite clear, that this place has become a frequent haunt for drinkers, probably youngsters not old enough to go into the public houses but who can buy their alcohol in the supermarkets and drink it in the seclusion of the gravestones and undergrowth around the Abbey Church. I counted over fifty of them, mostly lager bottles, but others that once contained vodka and whisky.

In June, the police announced their intention of using sniffer dogs to check on pupils at two of Bourne's schools to find out if they are in possession of drugs. The agreement to make these spot searches was reached with head teachers because it was feared that young people would be at risk if they became hooked on the drug habit. Alcohol is also a threat to this vulnerable section of society and surreptitious drinking that is obviously going on here should similarly concern our police force. 

There is also the matter of the overgrown and untidy churchyard, a ready made, secretive meeting place for clandestine activities. A green and tidy open space, regularly maintained, would provide no such attraction for wrongdoers.

We should also be concerned at the effect this has on visitors, particularly those from abroad. Many come here to look at the tombstones and to check on the inscriptions because they are compiling family trees. Whatever do they think of a town that allows a place where their ancestors were laid to rest to deteriorate in this fashion? The inquiries that lead to my recent visit to the churchyard came from Gene Layton of Avondale, Arizona, USA, whose great grandfather, John Thorpe Layton, son of William Layton, landlord of the Bull Hotel in the Market Place, now the Burghley Arms, left home in 1849 to join the Californian gold rush and became a rich man. Many of his descendants still live in America and are concerned for the remains of their ancestors.

When Gene Layton received the photographs and learned of the state of the churchyard where his relatives are buried, he wrote: "People forget that if it were not for our ancestors, we would not be here. The churchyard looks like a very beautiful resting place if it were cleaned up. Something really should be done."

What the local newspapers are saying: The churchyard is not the only untidy place in Bourne because the Stamford Mercury has startling coverage this week of the more unsightly places in and around the town. Their front page colour photo feature showing nine "grot spots" identified by photographer Andy Dennis within an hour (August 22nd) should give those who care so little about our street scene pause for thought at the sight of rubbish, graffiti, broken glass and weeds, defacing those places within the town centre area. Christian March's account of the town council's highways and planning committee meeting on Tuesday which prompted this report, demonstrates that our councillors are quite aware of what is going on and veteran campaigner Councillor Marjorie Clark was particularly incensed. "Some of the footpaths in the town are an absolute disgrace", she said while Councillor Petronella Moisey was concerned about the commercial effects. "We are trying to bring more visitors into the town but there are bottles and litter everywhere and it is not being cleaned up from one week to the next," she said.

The newspaper then tried to find out who was responsible and here they came up against a bureaucratic brick wall with no one actually saying: "It is us!" The most telling statement came from Ian Yates, director of performance management at South Kesteven District Council, and his explanations are an indication that we are unlikely to have this problem addressed with the urgency that it demands. He said that a number of initiatives were being looked at including the formation of "a filth hit squad" but he added: "When broken glass is reported to us we act as soon as possible. This is a top priority. Weeds do not come under our remit, but the county council. The High Street in Grantham is the only place in the council's district where police community support officers can issue fixed penalty notices to litter louts. Knowing where the worst areas are is important. We will always get criticised for not cleaning things up but equally we need to change people's behaviour."

It is difficult to believe that Bourne has twice been judged the best kept small town in this part of Lincolnshire, in 1965 and again in 1978. Since those days, conditions have deteriorated badly and this column has been highlighting the poor state of our streets and public places for the past five years and nothing has been done. In fact, the problem has got worse. It is to be hoped that these revelations by the Stamford Mercury will spur the authorities into action and that they will not let the matter drop until Bourne is cleaned up.

People power is illustrated in a front page report by The Local which tells us that villagers at Baston, Thurlby and Langtoft, have won their fight for a reduction in the 50 mph speed limit on the main A15 which runs through all three communities, despite it being identified as one of the 12 most dangerous roads in Lincolnshire (August 22nd). The lobbying for improved safety measures has been going on for some years and now the county highways and planning directorate has decided that from Tuesday 26th August, the speed limit will be reduced to 40 mph and roadside cameras will be adjusted accordingly. 

The Local gives itself a pat on the back because it joined the fight for slower speeds on the A15. Their support for the drive to keep Bourne tidy would also have added weight to the case but the newspaper does not mention this important story of our dirty streets even though it was the main talking point at a town council committee meeting this week yet they managed to devote half a page to a fire in someone's washing machine. Did they attend the meeting, I wonder? A newspaper should never lose touch with the people for its role is to mirror their hopes and fears if it is to be successful. The clean-up crusade by the Stamford Mercury is a worthy one and perhaps The Local will find space for a small mention in support of the widespread concern over this issue in the coming weeks. The subject is already being discussed in the Bourne Forum on this web site and it would be quite inappropriate for our leading local newspaper to ignore a major news story completely.

Few people would know the answer if asked what Bourne has in common with Fort Worth, Texas, yet the connection is simply water and the explanation goes back more than a hundred years.

For centuries, Bourne enjoyed the reputation as being the site of the largest flowing well in the world, namely St Peter's Pool, which during the 19th century was producing 500,000 gallons daily. This information was published in an international scientific magazine and immediately, an American rival claimed the record. A contributor suggested in 1891 that in sinking a well for a natatorium at Fort Worth, a flow of water was struck which exceeded that of any previously known artesian supply with a flow of 600 gallons a minute and the water was as clear as crystal.

A natatorium is a building which provides public baths and Forth Worth was justly proud of theirs which was then in the planning stages when the city envisaged using its supply of pure artesian water to provide Turkish and Russian baths and a large pool for swimmers. Steam, heat, electric lights and all modern conveniences would eventually be installed to make it a most attractive place for the people of the city.

Reluctant to relinquish Bourne's claim to fame, the Stamford Mercury reported on Friday 9th October 1891: 

The well has a depth of 1,052 feet with a ten-inch bore at the top, tapering to five inches at the bottom while the bore which supplies Bourne is only four inches. With a bore of ten inches, the volume from the Bourne well would, it can easily be calculated, exceed that of its newly discovered Texan rival. Bourne may therefore still claim to possess the largest and purest water supply in the world. At Aire, in the province of Artois, (now better known as the Department Pas de Calais), in France, from which province the term "artesian" is derived, there was a well from which the water has continued to flow for more than a century. At the old Carthusian convent at Lillers, the well dates back to the 12th century. St Peter's Pool at Bourne, a well situated in the grounds of Hereward's castle, has been flowing with undiminished volume since the earliest times. The traces of Roman dwellings that have been discovered in its vicinity lead to the conclusion that it was in existence during the period of their occupation and may indeed have decided the place as a site for their colony. That the well was merrily flowing in Saxon times is beyond doubt. In their last heroic stand against the invading Normans, the Saxons under Hereward (if Charles Kingsley is correct), made the locality of St Peter's Pool the site for their camp. The unfailing supply of water was doubtless a strategic reason for this preference.

The Great Natatorium for Fort Worth was eventually built in 1888-89 and as the project was nearing completion, the local newspaper, the Daily Gazette, reported on 13th September 1889:

The natatorium will soon be finished and will be an institution of which Fort Worth may well be proud. The building, which is of pressed brick and stone, would be an ornament to any city, and the enterprising citizens who have invested such a large sum of money in the institution deserved credit for their faith in the city and for their public spirit. Although the building is not finished, the swimming pool has been thrown open to the public and daily hundreds of our people avail themselves of the privilege of disporting themselves in the finest water found in the state of Texas, the far-famed artesian water. The pool, tank or basin, which is 100 feet long, about forty feet wide and twelve feet deep, is built of cut stone cemented to make it perfectly watertight. Into this basin, hot and cold artesian water flows at the rate of 7,000 gallons an hour, entering the bottom of the basin. A waste pipe carrying of 7,000 gallons an hour empties the water from the surface, so that the basin is always filled with pure water. It required thirty-three hours to fill this basin, so the capacity of the basin can be appreciated. Around the basin are some thirty dressing rooms, while sliding boards, spring boards, ropes and rings are arranged in the room for the benefit of swimmers. It is the intention to have ladies' and children's days as well as gentlemen's days. A portion of the basin is so arranged that the water is shallow for those who do not wish to trust themselves to deep water. It is said that if it is found desirable, huge blocks of salt can be brought here from New Iberia, Louisiana, and a genuine sea bath enjoyed without travelling to the Gulf. Turkish, Russian, vapour and other baths will be put in before the building will be complete. Fort Worth can boast of the most magnificent swimming school and lavatory [wash room] in the south.

Bourne's water sources also expanded with the sinking of yet another large borehole in Abbey Road by the Bourne Waterworks Company, this time supplying not only the town but also Spalding 13 miles away, with five million gallons a day. The Stamford Mercury reported on Friday 2nd February 1894:

A remarkable overflowing artesian well has been recently sunk at Bourne to supply the town of Spalding with water, the engineers being Messrs C Isler and Co of London. It is stated that no records are published of springs being tapped in England yielding a larger quantity of water than the one at Bourne. At a depth of 100ft. from the surface, the yield was 1,872,000 gallons per day; and on the advice of Messrs Isler, it was resolved to carry the bore deeper with the result that at 134ft., over 5,000,000 gallons per day are now obtained. The overflow really proved wonderful and unless means had been taken for carrying this water away into a dyke that runs into two rivers, the country around would have been flooded. The water from the well flows by gravitation through ten miles of pipes to the company's reservoirs at Spalding.

Bourne still retains a link with Fort Worth through Mr John Hughes, a long-standing email correspondent and regular visitor to this web site who now reckons that he knows as much about our town as any American. My thanks are due to him for his research into this subject on the other side of the Atlantic and to the Forth Worth Historical Society who provided details of their very impressive natatorium. 

There has been a great deal said in this column in recent weeks about St Peter's Pool, its history and the meaning it gives to this town. It is one of Britain's oldest and most productive artesian wells and some say it has magical qualities, as with all ancient sources of water that were once necessary for life itself. One man who believes that it may be one of our original wishing wells is Dennis Staff, a retired officer from the Royal Canadian Navy, living in Ottawa. He was born at Hull and during the Second World War of 1939-45, he was evacuated to Bourne to escape the bombing of the city and the docks and so became familiar with our town and St Peter's Pool. He has written of his memories of those days and the wishes that were made there and his article has been added to the CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne.

From the archives: As a notable exception to all other towns, the tradesmen of Market Deeping did not observe the Bank Holiday. It is paltry that solitary selfishness should deprive the whole of the employees here of what has become a national holiday. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 6th August 1875 (August Bank Holiday was then the first Monday of the month).

Thought for the Week: School exams have become like school sports day: debased to the point of meaninglessness by a progressive ideology which declares that all must have prizes. It isn't in doubt that many candidates will have worked hard and deserved the A grades they have obtained, but with a pass rate of 95 per cent, it is certain that many have been disproportionately rewarded for mediocre effort. - editorial from the Spectator, Saturday 16th August 2003.

Saturday 30^th August 2003

The most elusive of the deer that inhabit these parts is the muntjac, one of the seven species that live wild in Britain. It is a small creature, growing to between 16-25 inches in height, and easily recognisable by its humped back appearance.

The muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) was imported from China to adorn the gardens of stately homes but has lived wild in this country after escaping from Woburn Park in Bedfordshire around 1890 and has since spread to the Home Counties, southern England and East Anglia. The upper canines of the buck form short tusks and they have small antlers on hairy bases called pedicles. They are not a herding deer, like the fallow deer that also inhabit Bourne Wood, but prefer a more solitary existence although they often pair up for company or move around in family groups.

In recent years, I have heard many tales of wild boar being at large in Bourne Wood but this is not true and what has undoubtedly been seen is a fleeting glimpse of a muntjac that my wife has on occasions also mistaken for a large dog. They do not confine their wanderings to the forest and I have several times seen one crossing the fields outside my study window between the north of Bourne and Dyke village, perhaps having been out on a nocturnal excursion and making a late return to the safety of the woodland. I have therefore had the chance to observe them closely through binoculars which I always keep handy for sightings such as this.

One man who has also had the chance to see them at first hand is Councillor Don Fisher who is lucky enough to have a muntjac visiting the paddock behind his home in West Road. I was sitting in the lounge with him on a recent Sunday morning when it made its appearance through the trees and for the next hour, we were able to observe it through the French windows as it investigated its surroundings, picking up a fallen apple or two and chewing on them, and foraging through the long grass around the lawn's edge. Don has lived in the house for over 20 years but this is the first time he has seen a muntjac in the garden and it is now visiting him two or three times a week.

This occurrence is the perfect example of man being able to live with nature, even in an urban environment. Too often, we shoo away strange animals and birds, or even call in the pest control officers, yet they have the same rights as us to be here and a more tolerant approach, such as that adopted by Don Fisher, would ensure that our wildlife proliferated and sightings such as this might soon be regarded as everyday rather than extraordinary.

What the local newspapers are saying: South Kesteven District Council is examining the possibility of holding some of its meetings in the evenings rather than the afternoons, as at present. The Herald and Post reports (August 21st) that the suggestion has come from a member of the public who wants a greater involvement by the electorate. There have also been complaints from councillors in the past that they too were finding meetings during the day a problem, especially those who are in full time employment. 

Malcolm Hall, administrator for the council's development control committee (yes, how tiresome all of these job titles are), said: "We are discussing this as a simple idea at the moment, nothing more than that. It would give people the chance to speak on issues of concern to them and of course, this opportunity is taken away if the meetings are held at inappropriate times. We are encouraged to involve the electorate more and this is something that members will certainly consider."

This officialese means that there will be no decision on this for some time and a similar fudge comes from Councillor Ray Auger, who sits on the council's influential Cabinet: "In principle, the idea is well worth looking at. The only difficulty I can see is that in the middle of winter, it may still not be the best plan because the only people who could realistically reach the meetings would be those living within a ten-mile radius of Grantham."

The logic of this escapes me and it appears that those who run things at SKDC headquarters have already made up their minds and that meetings will continue in the afternoons. But it is worth remembering that in years past, local authorities, particularly those in rural areas such as this, always met in the evenings to enable councillors who were working full time to attend. As a young reporter in the 1950s, I covered dozens of these meetings, in Peterborough, Whittlesey, Ramsey and often in Bourne, and the suggestion that they should be held in the afternoons never arose. The meetings went ahead summer and winter, rain or snow, whether councillors lived within a ten-mile radius of the council chamber or not, and in those days the majority got there either by walking, or more usually on their bike or on the bus.

The problem today is that council staff and their trade unions have become more powerful and it is usually their influence that decrees when meetings will be held. Afternoons are within their working day and night time attendance would impinge on their free time. Also, the majority of councillors are retired and so an afternoon meeting fits in very well with their schedule without interfering with their evening activities. The public may well clamour for council meetings to be held at more convenient times to suit them but in the end, the bureaucrats will do nothing to upset their own apple cart and so it is all Lombard Street to a China orange that the idea will be quietly shelved and things will remain very much as they are. The days of doing things to please the public have long gone.

The naming of new streets to be built on the site of Bourne Hospital continues to attract interest and The Local has published a lively selection (August 29th). The town council has suggested that in view of the land's previous use, they should have medical connections and so readers have been searching their memories for the names of doctors and nurses from past times whose work might be so remembered. One of the best suggestions comes from Philip Hankins, aged 79, of St Gilbert's Road, Bourne, who as a lad of 17, was recruited to help with emergency duties during the second World War of 1939-45 and one of his tasks was to take blankets used by evacuees to the hospital to be steam cleaned. There he met Jack Rose, the maintenance man, and they became firm friends because he was a likeable, lovable man, full of fun and good humour who was always ready to help patients and visitors alike. 

I mention this because this web site carries a similar tribute to Jack Rose from Winnie Nowak, now living at Anchorage, Alaska. She was taken to the hospital with scarlet fever as a young girl in 1930 and she remembers:

Apparently I was very ill and delirious when the ambulance arrived but I do remember the driver, Mr Rose, carrying me downstairs. Years later while in training to be a nurse at Stamford Hospital, one of the girls came down with diphtheria and was to be sent to Bourne Isolation Hospital. I was assigned to her until the ambulance arrived and who should the driver be but Mr Rose. He remembered me and after a short chat, invited me to stop in to have a cup of tea when my friend and I biked home past the hospital on our two nights off. We did this for some time. The memory of Mr Rose really sticks in my mind because he did so much for us and had a wonderful personality and I have fond recollections of the hospital as a result.

Mr Hankins would like one of the streets named after Jack and another reader has suggested Rose Avenue, a fitting tribute. Perhaps the town council will honour the memory of this much-loved man when making their final selection.

Tony Rudd, the engineer who played a major part in the success of British Racing Motors (BRM), died on Friday 22nd August at the age of 80 and the Stamford Mercury carries a tribute to his work with the famous firm that was based in Bourne (August 29th). He was one of the most successful designers of high performance cars during the period, joining BRM in 1951 and designing the first of the V8 engines which went on to win the World Championship in 1962. After his retirement in 1991 he wrote his autobiography and in August 1999, joined in the celebrations for a motor racing heritage day that attracted thousands of visitors to Bourne.

A little known industry in past times was bark peeling which was carried out in Bourne Wood and employed a large number of men. Bark is the protective covering of dried up tissues that can be found on the outside of tree trunks. 

The uses of bark are many and various and in past times it was a raw material for making canoes, shields, baskets and clothing. But the most valuable discovery was that it is also rich in tannins, particularly that of the oak tree, and is still in use for tanning hides to make leather, another industry which thrived in Bourne during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Working hours in those days were long and conditions arduous but men needing a regular wage to feed a wife and family had to put up with whatever conditions their employer imposed although there were isolated outbreaks of militancy among the labouring classes, particularly those engaged in agriculture and associated work such as forestry.

In the 19th century, the woods were owned by the Earl of Exeter, then Lord of the Manor of Bourne, who felled timber for income and also supplied bark to various firms in the locality. He was employing 40 men on this industry in 1872 but there was a great deal of unrest among them because of the hours they were required to work and the situation came to a head on the morning of Friday 26th May when they all walked out on strike. There was no union and pay bargaining was done by elected representatives. A deputation was therefore sent to the woodman, the earl's agent on site, with an ultimatum demanding revised working hours.

There was a lengthy consultation and it was agreed that they would return to work the following day provided the hours proposed by them were implemented. Until then, the men worked from 6 am until 6 pm with an hour and a half for stoppages, a total of 10½ hours. Their wages ranged from 2s. 3d. to 3s., according to capability. The men asked that they should have an hour allowed to them for going to work and an hour for returning and this would mean a starting time of 7 am and finishing at 5 pm with the usual 1½ hours for stoppages. They also asked to leave at 4.30 pm on Saturdays, a total of 8½ hours work. The woodman's counter proposals were that they should start work at 6.30 am and leave at 5.30 pm and that they could leave at 4.30 pm on a Saturday but the men refused to accept this and so the stoppage continued.

A week later, additional labour had been recruited to keep the bark peeling going and one by one the strikers were drifting back to work although an estimated half of them refused to return and sought work elsewhere. In the event, the hours remained the same.

The imposing building on the corner of West Street and St Peter's Road is a delightful example of Victorian ostentation and yet was missed when Bourne's old buildings were listed in July 1977. It is now home to the Pyramid Club but was originally a farmhouse and when wealthy corn merchant and brewer John Gibson bought it during the mid-19th century, he gave the red brick structure a Gothic style façade in stone and the porch still contains a wheat sheaf decoration while the date 1872 and the owner's initials can be seen on the frontage by the discerning eye.

Gibson lived there with his family in some style until overtaken by bankruptcy when the premises were sold and took on a new lease of life as the Bourne Institute, an organisation devoted to the provision of healthy recreation, education and intellectual improvement by providing a wide range of facilities for social activities including music, literature, billiards and other games. In 1888, the committee appointed Joseph Pool as steward and caretaker and he moved in with his family and lived there until he died in 1933.

A frequent visitor was his grandson, Trevor Pool, who was given the run of the place when it was closed and therefore gained an aptitude for billiards, playing from his earliest years when he used to stand on a box to reach the table. Trevor now lives in retirement at Halifax in West Yorkshire and his recollections of those days are included on this web site.

From the archives: The nuisance of boys throwing stones with catapults has become very prevalent in the Bourne locality, much damage to glass and other property being thereby done. The delinquents must be brought to justice in order to stop this growing evil. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 16th April 1875.

Thought for the Week: E-mail is the bastard child of the telephone and the sheet of paper. Last year, the number of e-mails sent in Britain exceeded the number of letters posted for the first time ever. The Royal mail has been in business for 487 years. It has taken e-mail less than 10 to become our preferred method of written communication. - from "Profile E-mail", The Sunday Telegraph, 24th August 2003.

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