Bourne Diary - February 2007

Saturday 3^rd February 2007

The 18th century gates at the Abbey Lawn - see "A decision has been made . . . "

There is a road junction near our home in Stephenson Way which we have nicknamed Smelly Corner because an obnoxious odour compels us to catch our breath each time we pass, sometimes of such intensity as to bring on feelings of nausea, especially at weekends when the underground sewage disposal channel from where it emanates is working at full stretch because everyone hereabouts is at home. The stench is indescribable but serves as a constant reminder of the inadequacy of a system disposing of an increasing volume of household effluent, a situation aggravated by continual house building without expanding its capacity.

Major investment will therefore be needed to cope with the huge influx of new residents, the biggest expansion in the history of Bourne, yet the town is still struggling with an infrastructure installed 50 years ago that has not kept pace with the increasing volume of business.

The public sewerage system originated through the improvement and culverting of open ditches which at one time served for the drainage of the streets and had become the natural recipients of all manner of household filth. The provision of piped water supplies to domestic premises and the installation of water closets in the late 19th century led to the discharge of large quantities to cesspools and these eventually overflowed to the sewers, a practice at first prohibited and later permitted, and finally the discharge of soil sewage became obligatory. Thus grew up the combined system of sewerage operating in Bourne during the early years of the 20th century.

The foundations of the town's sewerage system had been laid more than a hundred years before when the greater part of Bourne had sewers of some kind but the exact date of their construction was unknown and no complete plan was available and as many sections were of some antiquity, the inadequacy of the system was not in doubt. A government sanitation survey of 1904 reported: "Sewers taken up and re-laid piecemeal at different times cannot be expected to work satisfactorily. Through ventilation is not provided and there is no system of flushing other than by means of water carts. They are, however, to a large extent kept flushed by the constant flow of water escaping from bores. Thus the sewer contents are diluted to a high degree, and the sewage dealt with at the sewage works is estimated at upwards of 300,000 gallons per day in ordinary weather."

A sewage works was built on the north bank of the Bourne Eau to the east of the town, designed by the Natural Purification Company and administered by Bourne Urban District Council out of revenue. The plant consisted of sedimentation tanks, a less sophisticated system than had originally been envisaged, but at the last moment, it was decided that the large volume of highly diluted sewage from Bourne was not suitable for treatment by the system proposed and the best that appeared possible under the circumstances had to be done.

The residuary liquid was therefore filtered through banks and beds of slag, and escaped into a channel leading into the Weir Dyke, which, at Guthram Gowt, about five and a half miles from Bourne, joined the Forty Foot Drain but this soon began to cause widespread pollution along the waterway. The government inspector observed: "At my first visit to the Weir Dyke, the decomposing sewage matter was seen in considerable quantity. My visit to the sewage works was made after an extraordinary rainfall, when all was in confusion. A sample of the effluent then drawn was turbid and yellow."

This unsatisfactory state of affairs continued until the Public Health Act of 1936 and as a result, major improvements were made to the system in Bourne, the greater part of the town being drained on a combined system in which the sewers received both foul water from premises and the run off from all roofs, roads and other surfaces. As the town expanded, further extensions became necessary and although proposals were submitted to the government in 1946, it was to be another ten years before BUDC was authorised to tender for the work and 1957 before contractors actually moved in.

The present sewerage system dates from this time with the separation of storm water from foul sewers and the erection of a modern treatment works designed to handle a daily flow of 250,000 gallons, fitted with a storm water overflow and the latest equipment and controls, all electrically driven and fully automatic. The final cost of the scheme was £90,000 [£1.5 million at today’s values] and the works were officially opened on Friday 7th October 1960. Ironically, the ceremony was disrupted by torrential rain that flooded the town and councillors, consulting engineers and contractors were marooned in the pumping station control room for two hours. Three inches of rainwater covered the streets, cars were stranded, houses and shops flooded and firemen were called out to several premises for emergency pumping operations. Coggles Causeway was badly affected and houses were flooded when the Bourne Eau that runs through the area overflowed its banks.

Nevertheless, it was not the disaster that would have ensued under the old system and Councillor Dr George Holloway, who had been the guiding hand in the project, told a meeting of the council the following week: “If ever a town has cause to congratulate itself on the work then Bourne is that town. We only have to consider the position of North Street and what it would have been like in an abnormal rainfall like that on Friday in the old days when the foul sewers were also carrying the storm water overflow. These improved conditions have revealed the necessity of our re-sewering scheme and the separation of storm water from foul sewers. But with three inches of rain in one and a half to two hours, no town could hope to deal completely with such an occurrence and the installation of sewers capable of coping with abnormal conditions like this would bankrupt the town. "

The sewerage system remained under the control of Bourne UDC until 1962 when responsibility for water and associated services passed to the South Lincolnshire Water Board. This authority came to an end and its responsibilities were handed over to the new Anglian Water Authority when it was formed in April 1974 and is now known simply as Anglian Water. There has been an ongoing programme of maintenance and improvement ever since although there has been no major upgrading for the past ten years. In that time, 350 new homes have been built and hundreds more are on the way, mainly at Elsea Park but also at other locations around the town as part of the residential development that will double the size of Bourne over the next decade. Anglian Water has now recognised the problem by announcing an investment programme costing £750,000 to upgrade the sewerage system and work is due to begin this year for completion by 2008. “We are running close to capacity at this stage and recognise the need to take action before it becomes a problem”, said a spokesman.

This is a project being undertaken just in time and with luck, one that will ease our unpleasant experiences at Smelly Corner.

A decision has been made on improving security at the Abbey Lawn and a statement is expected next week from Bourne United Charities which administers the grounds. The word on the block however is that iron railings will be erected along the front with similar protection along the sides in a bid to deter nocturnal intruders intent on causing criminal damage.

Although the design has not yet been revealed, this would appear to be a sensible solution rather than the peep-proof fence of rumour and gossip and it is a pity that the public were not given a hint of what was being considered earlier when the wild speculation that has been flying around in recent weeks would have been averted. Ornamental railings would prevent access for all but the most determined vandals and provided they are tastefully designed, there appears to be no reason why they would look out of place in the conservation area. Perhaps they could even be modelled on the handsome hand-forged, wrought iron entrance gates to the Abbey Lawn which were secured soon after BUC purchased the land seventy years ago.

They were made during the 18th century and formerly graced an estate entrance to a stately home in Derbyshire but were acquired and installed in 1933 when the side gates were made to match by Mr William Friend, an agricultural engineer and specialist in metal work who was in business in Bourne at that time. They have added a touch of elegance to the site ever since, even surviving the Second World War of 1939-45 when similar railings around the country, even those in Church Walk, were cut down to produce metal for the production of aircraft, warships and other armaments. Iron railings of this calibre would not only deter unwanted visitors but also enhance the appearance of the grounds, particularly if they are fitted between the brickwork columns along Abbey Road.

It is also hoped that the statement will deal with other questions of public interest connected with this affair such as who will foot the bill (currently estimated at between £40,000 and £50,000), will the grounds be locked after dark and whether an application will be made to divert the public footpath between Coggles Causeway and Abbey Road. The statement from BUC is therefore awaited with much anticipation and now that the trustees have bitten the bullet by agreeing to keep the people informed, perhaps this will be the first of many such announcements about its activities and its progress in the future.

What the local newspapers are saying: An illustration of the extravagant conjecture over the pending security precautions for the Abbey Lawn can be found in the Stamford Mercury which proclaims in its headline that “Ring of steel will fend off vandals” with details of a perimeter fence, imposing a curfew on the park, banning alcohol and installing security lights (February 2nd) although presumably none of this will apply to the football club’s new licensed bar which stands within the grounds. Will members be allowed through after curfew and will they be able to have a drink? Answers to all of these questions are awaited with interest.

Town councillor Mark Horn (Bourne East) becomes the first of our local representatives to highlight the effects of annual council tax increases on old people who will be liable to pay yet another £50 a year from April. The Lincolnshire Free Press reports his concern which was raised at the Local Forum at the Corn Exchange last week (January 30th) when he said: “One third of those in my constituency are retired and on fixed incomes but they are still expected to pay these rises every year.” Councillor Horn, who also sits on Lincolnshire County Council for the Bourne Abbey division, criticised the high level of administration costs and compared them with neighbouring Peterborough City Council which is seeking only a 1% increase yet has a higher performance rating.

A major problem with our local authorities is the soaring staffing levels. LCC and South Kesteven District Council, for instance, now employ more than 15,000 people between them and the proposed 4.9% increase will be largely eaten up in financing their yearly salary increase of around 3%. Pensioners who are forced to help fund this expenditure get no annual rises, even to keep pace with inflation, and as living costs soar, income value decreases and so many face a stark choice between paying their bills and putting food on the table and heating their homes.

The situation is clearly stated in a letter to the latest issue of County News, the free monthly newspaper published by Lincolnshire County Council (February 2007). Anthony Jennings, of Dowsby, near Bourne, says that far from it being increased year after year, the council tax should be reduced. “Councils have grown too fat and are now increasingly preoccupied with their own internal concerns”, he writes, “maintaining employment levels, funding employee pensions and so on, encouraged by their government funding. We all know that instead they should be cutting staff and perks. Worse, they are now self-serving bureaucracies, no longer primarily concerned about the public they are there to serve. They are inefficient and living beyond their means. The public are fed up with it.”

Thought for the week: When things are steep, remember to stay level-headed. - Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus), Roman poet (65-8 BC) who wrote about Roman life in considerable detail.

Saturday 10^th February 2007

Like Laurel and Hardy, the town council has got itself into another fine mess over the proposed demolition of the cemetery chapel. Events since the recommendation was first made by the amenities committee on 19th December 2006 have gone downhill and it is now obvious that the authority has no strategy in place over the required alternative accommodation for the ground maintenance equipment and the Christmas lights that are currently stored there.

It would be totally unacceptable, incongruous, even ridiculous, to hire two 20 foot steel sea containers or even a Portakabin, as has been suggested, which would be inadequate in the long term, if indeed the site was suitable for their location, and permanent accommodation would eventually need to be built with the result that the final cost would almost certainly exceed that required for the chapel restoration.

Then we have the fiasco of the tenders for demolition, two of them being read out at the last amenities committee meeting on Tuesday night (one for £10,750 and another for £8,650), a genuine mistake but these quotes are now in the public domain before a contractor has been chosen and the procedure may have to begin again. Added to this is the attitude of some councillors in refusing to consider the opinions of those who wish to see the chapel restored which is hardly a suitable response and an unfortunate example for the pupils of the Abbey Primary School who sent the town council a colourful protest poster pleading for the chapel to be saved.

There is a growing awareness in the town that this is indeed a fine building worthy of preservation, perhaps in another role, to demonstrate to those who come after that this generation did care about our heritage. A large number of letters of support for the chapel are posted on the Bourne Forum, one of the most lively and informative debates since this feature began in 1999, but as many councillors cannot use a computer, they are unable to gauge the current climate of opinion or even keep in touch with what is going on in this town although the evidence is that they are fully aware of the overwhelming public opposition to its demolition.

On 29th July 2005, the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Judy Smith, who was also chairman of the town council, wrote to James Wherry, chairman of Wherry and Sons Ltd, the old-established firm of seed merchants, in response to his query about the future of the cemetery where many of his ancestors are buried: “I do assure you that taking into account the sentiments of the majority of the people in Bourne, we will do our utmost to retain the chapel as we do not wish to see yet another Bourne heritage landmark disappear.”

All of this constitutes a clear case for the council to think again. The proposal to pull it down came from Councillor Guy Cudmore who seems to be of the opinion that it is irreversible for the time being because he told the Lincolnshire Free Press this week (February 6th): “The legal position is that the council cannot change its mind for six months.” This may be incorrect because it is my understanding that under the town council’s standing orders, a request to discuss a topic previously before the council is allowed if it is signed by five councillors and a new debate can then take place and indeed overturn the original decision. The way is therefore open for councillors to redress a glaringly erroneous judgment that was taken against the wishes of the people.

Remedial work should begin on the building at the earliest opportunity and it appears that the council has sufficient money for this to happen. Contingency funds amount to £80,000, including £40,000 earmarked for cemetery works, yet little of it has been spent and this most probably accounts for the current neglected state of the chapel. There is therefore no reason why it should not be used to save the Victorian building and put it in good order for the benefit of the town. Many believe that councillors will be failing in their duty if they do not follow this course of action.

An application for the spot listing of the 150-year-old chapel is being actively pursued with England Heritage and we await the outcome with optimism because the granting of Grade II status will prohibit the town council from pulling it down and require them to seek grant aid for its refurbishment. How better for councillors to adopt this policy voluntarily rather than be required to do so by a higher authority.

What the local newspapers are saying: After weeks of secrecy and speculation, Bourne United Charities has finally revealed its plans for increased security arrangements for the Abbey Lawn in an attempt to deter vandals and a front page report in The Local reveals that it is intended to build a 9 ft. high metal fence and introduce a curfew after dark (February 9th).

The fence will be erected along Abbey Road and a similar construction along the frontage with Coggles Causeway and although there is no illustration, we are assured that the design will be in keeping with the style of the 18th century wrought iron gates at the main entrance. Planning permission will be needed and so it will be up to South Kesteven District Council to ensure that the fence conforms with the terms for the Conservation Area, designated in 1977, when it was stressed that the inward view of the Abbey Lawn from the road towards the church must not be impaired.

Times when the gates will be locked are to be announced later, a restriction that has the potential to offend many, not least members of the Bourne Tennis Club who play on their hard courts under floodlights until 10 pm. Other visitors use the public path between Coggles Causeway and Abbey Road but there is no mention of any application to Lincolnshire County Council to extinguish this ancient right of way and divert the route, a necessary requirement if the Abbey Lawn is to be closed at night.

The newspaper report also says that the cost will be £50,000 and although the fence has been negotiated by Abbey Lawn Action Committee, everyone is aware that Bourne Town Football Club will derive the most benefit as the fencing will have a direct bearing on the status of the club with the Football Association. To put this figure in perspective, it is half of that being sought by the Abbey Church for refurbishment and urgent repairs to the fabric of our only Grade I listed building, money which is slowly being raised pound by pound through the efforts of a dedicated and hard working band of volunteers holding charity sales, market stalls and other events, who must feel devastated that such a sum is being handed out to support local soccer especially as the restoration fund has not received a penny from Bourne United Charities although there has been a generous donation of £10,000 from the Len Pick Trust.

The football club does not attract a large following in the town which reflects the national trend that the so-called great game is in fact a minority sport. More people go to museums, stately homes and parks each year than watch football matches yet our own Wellhead Gardens, which are administered by BUC, are in urgent need of some tender loving care. Last year’s autumn leaves lie uncollected and are stifling new grass growth, trees toppled by gales in January 2001 remain where they fell, St Peter’s Pool, one of England’s most ancient natural springs, is fast becoming an eyesore through continued neglect, flower borders are overgrown with weeds, signs have been defaced and ornamental railings are rusting and in dire need of a lick of paint. Elsewhere in the town, the cemetery chapel is in danger of being demolished, the Ostler memorial deteriorates and the Old Grammar School in the churchyard, one of our oldest buildings, is in danger of falling down through neglect, all monuments from our past that could be saved through a similar injection of capital.

In short, Bourne needs a breath of fresh air yet the only recent initiative towards change is one of dubious merit, to install a barrier around the Abbey Lawn and we can only hope that its design will be sympathetic to its surroundings. No one will deny support for the football club and we all understand its plight over continual criminal damage. But whether it should be given priority for expenditure of this magnitude with money that has been left for the benefit of Bourne is questionable and the first act of vandalism that occurs after the fence has been erected will prove that it has been wasted.

The poet and novelist Frederic Manning (1882-1935), who wrote his outstanding book about the Great War while living in Bourne, is to be remembered with a commemorative plaque on the front of the Burghley Arms or on the town hall next door. The Stamford Mercury reports that the town council has finally agreed to acknowledge him after seventy years of obscurity to mark the 125th anniversary of his birth (February 9th).

His book, Her Privates We, is a harrowing account of the horrors of trench life seen through the eyes of Private Bourne, the hero he named after this town, and is reckoned to be among the most important literary works to emanate from the conflict of 1914-18 which claimed ten million lives and is still in print today. Manning lived at the Burghley Arms (then the Bull Inn) and later lodged with a couple in Burghley Street and during this period, he developed such a fondness for the town that he stayed here until shortly before he died in a London nursing home.

The unveiling is now likely to take place on July 22nd when representatives from the Australian High Commission in London will be invited and there are hopes that this belated recognition might attract more tourists to the town and perhaps even form the basis of a literary festival. But not everyone was enthusiastic about the idea. The newspaper quotes the mayor, Councillor Brian Fines, as saying: “We already have a road named after Frederic Manning and I do not think there is a strong enough case for putting up a plaque. Of course, if the council votes to press ahead with the plaque, I will go along with it but if it were up to me, there would be no plaque and no ceremony.”

There is not, of course, a road in Bourne named after Frederic Manning, although there is a Manning Road but this is named after Robert Manning (1264-1340), the mediaeval monk who worked at Bourne Abbey producing religious texts, thus setting a standard of Middle England speech and dialect, and is also well remembered with the Robert Manning Technical College. This is a common mistake among those who do not know this town well but both lives are fully explored on the CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne, the definitive history that also contains an account of the origins of our 200 street names, and perhaps any councillor who wishes to learn more might like to spend a few hours with the copy I have lodged with the town council for their benefit.

Thought for the week: None so blind as those that will not see. - Matthew Henry, English Presbyterian clergyman and author, best known for his writings on the Old and New Testaments (1662-1714).

Saturday 17^th February 2007

The Croft in North Road continues to deteriorate and now has an air of neglect and impending ruin while the grounds have become a haven for vandals and drinkers, with empty beer bottles and other detritus scattered around the grounds. It is difficult to imagine that this once grand house can ever again be brought back into a serviceable condition and as the site declines we begin to think that perhaps residential development was not such a bad idea after all.

Although boarded up awaiting a settlement of the dispute over whether new homes should be built on the adjoining meadowland, the house has been entered several times and fires lighted within, causing some damage, and the wrought iron gates at the entrance now stand permanently open, a constant invitation to intruders. One of the more depressing aspects is that the three Victorian lamp standards alongside the main path have now been vandalised (pictured above).

The house was built in 1922 and the last owner was Mr Andrew Cooke, a local businessman and landowner, who enhanced the property considerably during his forty-year tenure. One of the more interesting features he introduced was the erection of the 19th century cast iron gas lamps along the main drive, rescued from the railway station at Bourne when it was demolished in 1964 and converted to electricity to light the way for visitors on dark evenings.

There is concern in the town that they should be saved and the town council has inquired about them as has the Civic Society which has come up with an admirable scheme to secure their future. Writing in the society’s newsletter for December 2004, secretary Robert Kitchener offered three suggestions. One is that they should be re-sited around the Red Hall and a second that they be included as part of a new residential development somewhere in the town. But his third suggestion has particular merit, that they be used to light the main path through the Wellhead Gardens, a byway that he delightfully calls Cherry Avenue, a reminder of the pink and white blossom from the ornamental cherry trees that bloom here each spring.

Lighting this path is an amenity that has long been needed. The walk is among the most popular in Bourne, frequented by townspeople and visitors alike, but they can only enjoy it in the daytime because it is impossible to find your way through on dark nights. The idea is not a new one and was mentioned in the Bourne Forum six years ago when suggestions were invited to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. Bob Currell wrote: “I would like to see a permanent commemoration, a scheme to provide attractive lighting along the paths in the Wellhead Gardens, thus prolonging the times at which this facility can be enjoyed.”

The suggestion immediately got the backing of the Civic Society and Robert Kitchener said: “Our favoured idea is to move the lamp posts and place them along Cherry Avenue which runs through the Wellhead Gardens. This has been proposed, with police support, as a safety measure in this poorly lit common public thoroughfare.”

What is now needed is for Mr Cooke to donate the lamp standards to the town, a public-spirited gesture that would be appreciated by everyone, no matter what they think about the current controversy over housing development at The Croft. Secondly, Bourne United Charities that administers the Wellhead Gardens would need to foot the bill for their removal and installation but the good news is that the trustees have sufficient funds at their disposal to finance this much needed amenity for the town, as has been demonstrated by their willingness to fork out £50,000 to fence off the Abbey Lawn.

But time is running short. Another few months and the lamps will have been damaged beyond recognition. Indeed, the lantern from one has already disappeared while the glass in the other two has been smashed and the iron standards are rusting badly. It will need a tremendous act of will from all concerned to save them but, regretfully, I do not hold out much hope and by next year, I imagine that only the photographs will have survived.

The cemetery chapel debate reached the airwaves this week when dedicated campaigner Roger Callow was interviewed by Radio Lincolnshire, giving a spirited case for its preservation with the mayor, Councillor Brian Fines, stonewalling by saying that the town council was not convinced there was enough support to justify the expense of restoring the building (February 13th).

This may be another example of the town council being totally out of touch with what is going on in Bourne, having already ignored 100 or more postings on the subject to the Forum, letters to the local newspaper, an impassioned plea from the Victorian Society, an application for spot listing by English Heritage, opposition from the Civic Society (91 members), a poster appeal from pupils at the Abbey Primary School, our February newsletter now available from the public library and the Heritage Centre and a pamphlet giving a detailed historical appraisal of the property which was disallowed at a recent council meeting. In addition, we also have an acknowledgment by the mayor‘s predecessor, Councillor Judy Smith, saying on 29th July 2005, that “the majority of the people of Bourne do not wish to see yet another heritage landmark disappear”.

Roger Callow tried his best to persuade him otherwise, suggesting that a restored chapel would be an ideal venue for civil ceremonies, one of many proposed uses, but his entreaties fell on stony ground. The case has now crystallised into a battle between the people of Bourne and their town councillors, not all because only nine of the 15 actually voted to pull down the chapel, and while they continue to stick their heads in the sand and refuse to recognise that they are in office to do the bidding of the people, the building will remain under threat.

Unfortunately, there are many cases in England at the present time where the bulldozers are outpacing the conservationists with demolition going ahead in precipitate haste before spot listing can be decided and a government White Paper is expected at Easter seeking more openness and transparency. Marcus Binney, president of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, highlighted the present predicament in The Times last week pointing out that proposed new legislation should require owners to treat a building as listed while the evaluation process is underway, thereby protecting it from impulsive demolition or mutilation (February 9th).

This would appear to be a sensible course of action, although legislation providing temporary protection is unlikely for several years and so is of little hope for Bourne where, because of the attitude of a few councillors, the cemetery chapel is fast becoming a cause célèbre, one of several from our recent past, notably those of trying to pull down the Red Hall and closing the Outdoor Swimming Pool, both moves strongly supported by local councillors and both saved by people power. With a following wind, it is the people who will again be successful in their endeavours and in this eventuality, those councillors who opposed them should be deeply shamed and will have a moral duty to consider their position as suitable representatives.

What the local newspapers are saying: Wake House will remain a community facility despite fears that it might close down. The assurance comes in a front page report by The Local after the pending closure of the information technology suite in the main downstairs rooms which it was thought, might herald a total shut down (February 16th). The early 19th century property in North Street has been home to the Bourne Arts Community Trust since September 2000 and now supports the activities of 35 local organisations. Ownership however, remains with South Kesteven District Council which has made no secret of the fact that the current rental is way below the commercial rate and this has created an air of insecurity among those who use it. But Olly Plumley, chairman of the trustees, told the newspaper that the closure of the IT suite does not affect their financial viability and they were seeking a new tenant for the vacant accommodation. “We have every intention of continuing our service to the community and look forward to many more years of activity”, he said.

Progress report on the Abbey Church appeal: The appeal is gradually gaining momentum and we have sent out over 240 letters to clubs and organisations, many firms in the town and, in the near future, we will also be mailing certain individuals too. Attaining our target of £100,000 for the restoration is not going to happen overnight. However, enthusiasm is high and attaining this very large amount of money is feasible, given that we have almost a year's fund raising ahead of us. The result is very encouraging because donations are already coming in from many sources, ranging from small to substantial amounts, and amounting to around £11,000. The biggest donation so far has come from the Len Pick Trust (£10,000). We have not yet received a donation from Bourne United Charities. At the end of the day, the Abbey Church plays a big role in the life of our community and the appeal committee has every confidence in the residents of our lovely little town to ensure that this fine building will still be serving future generations for many years to come. - email from Betty James, committee press officer, Thursday 15th February 2007.

From the archives: Considerable excitement, and no little alarm, was caused on Sunday shortly before morning service by the sight of a runaway horse with brougham attached, careering at full gallop through the streets of Bourne. There being no occupants in the carriage, it was feared that this was the precursor to the tidings of a fatal accident. It appears that as Captain Pritchard, of Cawthorpe Hall, and his family, were preparing to start for church, the horse, in backing, turned restive and bolted. Captain Pritchard had happily, just prior to this, requested his wife and children to leave the carriage where they had been seated. The horse took a roundabout race by way of North Street, South Street, Thurlby Road, the Austerby, Queen's Bridge and Eastgate, and was finally checked at the second bridge, as police Superintendent Willerton Brown drove up in pursuit. Considering the number of people around at the time, it is marvellous that no casualty occurred. Both horse and carriage were uninjured. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 27th May 1892.

Message from abroad: We are well into a prolonged cold spell with night time temperatures down to minus 25-35 degrees C. Today at 12:30 pm, it is snowing lightly, temperature minus 18 degrees C. Last weekend, we had just over a metre of snow in two days and I had to get my grandson to come over and dig my car out. I couldn’t get near it. We have a problem in the parking lot as there is nowhere to push the snow to anymore, trucks are just too busy to haul any more away and so they bring in snow-blowers to pile it higher than the snow-ploughs can push it. We have had snow every day for nine days, usually just 8-10 cm a day but the piles get bigger. I just checked the temperature and the wind chill today is minus 26 degrees C. Fortunately, I have lots of food and stuff in the cupboard and could hole up for a month if needed because this weather shows no sign of breaking up yet. - email from Glen Foster, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, Tuesday 13th

Thought for the week: Global warming is indeed a scam, perpetrated by scientists with vested interests, but in need of crash courses in geology, logic and the philosophy of science. It provides the media with a new scare story, which has been picked up by the focus groups and turned into the new religion, offering us hell if we don't all change our ways. - Dr Martin Keeley, Visiting Professor in Petroleum Geology, University College, London, quoted by BBC Online, Monday 6th December 2006.

Saturday 24^th February 2007

I have discovered a bench mark on the stonework of the east wall of Bourne’s cemetery chapel in South Road. These marks have a topographical and historical significance and as this one was hitherto unrecorded, I have therefore registered it with Ordnance Survey and from 5th February 2007 it is included in their official data base.

The importance of this should not be underestimated by councillors and it is hoped that they will take due cognisance of it when deliberating on the future of this building. For their information, Ordnance Survey is Great Britain's national mapping agency, providing the most accurate and up-to-date geographic data, relied on by government, business and the public. Bench marks are OS arrowhead signs found on stationary objects such as walls, bridges, churches and specially erected concrete posts, where the altitude above sea level has been accurately measured by surveyors and may be used as a reference point in tidal observations and surveys in the future.

I have also registered a second cut bench mark, also previously unrecorded, which can be seen in the yellow brickwork of the commercial premises at No 2 South Street. Others already included in the register are the flush bracket type which can be found on the Town Hall, the Abbey Primary School and at a private house, No 101 on the west side of North Road. A fourth example on the lodge house at Bourne Hospital in South Road disappeared when the premises were demolished to make way for new housing in the summer of 2003.

A rare bench mark may not be a sufficient reason alone to ensure the survival of the chapel but it does add to the case against it being pulled down.

What the local newspapers are saying: A deep vein of dissatisfaction with authority has been running through the columns of our local newspapers in recent weeks with many tales of voluntary effort to improve a community thwarted by an increasingly uncaring bureaucracy. The people try to make life better and keep the institutions they have yet whenever they protest as things begin to go awry, the authorities appear to pull up the drawbridge. As a result, councils, the police and others in power can no longer be relied upon to perpetuate the public cause and it is therefore up to individuals to make their voices heard, louder and ever louder, until they do take notice.

This week is no exception and many of the reports and letters in The Local relate to grievances in the handling of matters by those we have put in charge. Even our MP, Mr Quentin Davies, has joined the fight to save computer classes that are being axed at Wake House in an attempt to reverse the decision while officials of the Civic Society have launched a membership campaign to raise more funds to safeguard the Heritage Centre housed in the early 19th century Baldock’s Mill in South Street (February 23rd).

The Stamford Mercury too reveals that conservationists trying to prevent the Victorian cemetery chapel from being pulled down are planning to launch a leaflet campaign this weekend to persuade town councillors that they have taken a wrong decision (February 23rd). The printing costs will be paid by volunteers who are also distributing them and the result is likely to be a mass of letters and emails to the town council in readiness for next month’s meeting when there are fears that the demolition process may be speeded up in an attempt to beat a spot listing by English Heritage which will require the authority to start restoring the building. Why the people should have to go to such lengths to force those who represent them to do their duty is beyond belief but that is the case in Bourne while, as The Local reports, all councillors can do is to squabble among themselves as to who will be the next mayor (February 23rd), a procedure which brought the good name of this traditional office into such disrepute last year.

The Local also reports a situation that may be at the heart of this crisis of democracy, that Lincolnshire County Council, the very top tier of our local government, has just been rated as one of the worst performing authorities in the country (February 23rd). A report from the Audit Commission, the government’s watchdog on these matters, says that almost 80% of our local authorities achieved either a maximum of four stars or three but Lincolnshire remains in the bottom section with a lowly two star rating. It is therefore unbelievable that our council tax is going up yet again this year by another 5% and we wonder how this additional finance will be squandered.

From my postbag: Rarely a day goes by without an email from somewhere around the world inquiring about Bourne’s history and the people who lived here in past times. It is our policy to answer them all and although this is time consuming, it is also worthwhile because it spreads the word around the globe about our town. The past few days have been particularly busy with messages from at home and abroad and we have managed to deal with all of them satisfactorily. Here are some of the more interesting inquiries.

Hazel Leonard wrote from North Yorkshire with details of a bottle her husband Paul had found in the River Severn near Kirkbymoorside and as the lettering on it included the name Bourne, Lincolnshire, she used a Google search to find our web site and sent us an email. “”It is a very odd shaped bottle with no flat bottom so it cannot be stood on a flat surface”, she wrote. “It is shaped almost like a rugby ball with a long neck.” This was obviously one of the famous torpedo bottles made of light green glass from the aerated water factory of R M Mills and Co which operated from premises in West Street from 1864 and continued until the middle years of the last century and we were able to send Hazel a photograph of a similar bottle for comparison. Anyone who is interested in finding out more about these and other bottles from our world famous water industry might like to visit the Heritage Centre in South Street where there is a magnificent display that has been arranged by Jonathan Smith.

Joey Pedigo emailed from Oklahoma, USA, with a progress report about his family tree that he has been researching over the past ten years with the help of the Family History section on this web site and the quest for more ancestors continues. Edward and Susan Sandall Baker left Haconby, near Bourne, in 1850 and sailed aboard the passenger ship Rocsius, arriving in New York on May 13th but he was anxious to find out how they reached Liverpool to catch the boat. This was a difficult one but as the railway did not reach Bourne until 1860, it was safe to assume that they took either a stagecoach or, more likely, a carrier’s cart, to Essendine, where a main line service was operating and they caught a train from there. Although they may have completed the entire journey by stagecoach, this would have been extremely expensive and so a railway journey would be a more reasonable assumption, the Liverpool to Manchester line which opened in 1830 being the first passenger service in England and by 1860, the country had 6,000 miles of public railway in operation.

From Solihull in the West Midlands, Norman Allen, whose parents once lived at 60 North Road, wrote to the town council to ask for advice on the age of his long case or grandfather clock with a dial bearing the inscription “T Pearce of Bourn” and the letter was passed on to see if I could help. Thomas Pearce was born at Stratford-on-Avon where his father, a watchmaker and silversmith, taught him the trade and he moved to Bourne in 1842 and eventually opened shop premises at No 32 North Street, now The Jubilee bar and restaurant. The name Bourn was changed to Bourne in 1893 and Thomas Pearce retired in 1890 and as the wooden clock case has a label with the name of J Wilcox, we were able to identify him as John Wilcox, carpenter, joiner and undertaker of Dyke, who was working in the late 19th century and so the clock may be accurately dated circa 1880.

Jack Woolmer is a farmer who lives at Alexandra, a small township in the fertile valley of the Goulburn river, ninety miles north of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and the mountains of the Great Divide are close by. His father, Ivor Woolmer, emigrated there in 1925 and so Jack, who has never been to the old country, is anxious to learn more about his ancestors. After checking our extensive records, we are able to ascertain that he was Charles Thomas Woolmer who worked as a gamekeeper at Witham-on-the Hill, near Bourne, while Howard Woolmer, one of his sons and therefore Jack’s uncle, played cricket for Bourne in 1925. There is much more for him to find out now that he has started but this is a good beginning.

Charles Sharpe VC (1889-1963), the Bourne man who won the Victoria Cross during the Great War, was the subject of an inquiry from Wales. Drew Shortis, who lives in Cardiff, is also researching his family history and has discovered that his grandfather, Charles Shortis, served with Sharpe and won the Military Cross during the same action on 9th May 1915 when Sharpe cleared a fifty yard long German trench of the enemy by using hand grenades which, it appears were handed to him by Shortis. His grandson is trying to piece together this story and to find out more about Sharpe and the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for gallantry, and we were happy to point him in the direction of our companion CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne which carries a detailed account of the action and a history of the medal.

We also had another weather report from Canada following last week’s account of heavy snowfalls at Owen Sound, Ontario, which had kept many people indoors for several days and even defeated the snow ploughs. Heather Nash, granddaughter of William Redshaw (1856-1943), the Bourne photographer who recorded so many scenes of the town during the 19th century, emailed from Vancouver Island on the west coast where she lives with her husband Richard: “You might like to know that the temperature here is 10 degrees C and we are enjoying almost spring-like weather with the crocus and snowdrops flowering while the lawn had just its first haircut,” she said. Heather also tells me they are busy planning for a trip to England and hope to be in Bourne for a couple of days towards the end of the month.

These are just a sample of the many inquiries we have week by week and the writers usually have a connection with this town. It is therefore gratifying to know that the Bourne web site is read around the world and helps people keep in touch with our past but also what is going here today.

Thought for the week: Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. - H L (Henry Louis) Mencken, American journalist, essayist and editor (1880-1956).

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