Bourne Diary - May 2009

Saturday 2^nd May 2009

After some months of bargaining with the developers, South Kesteven District Council has given the green light for work to start on the controversial housing scheme for the old laundry site at the corner of Recreation Road and Manning Road and within the next few years we will see 47 new homes crammed on to a site of under two acres (0.7 hectares), a prime example of high density development.

The council’s decision has been taken against the wishes of the people and the town council who have officially registered their opposition through the planning procedures yet all protests have been ignored. Officers at Grantham have agreed that the new estate can be built and have even watered down the requirements of the S106 agreement under which developers contribute towards services in return for planning permission and their decision has been endorsed by the development control committee. Instead of contributing the required £211,629 towards health care and education, Larkfleet will only be giving £155,130 and even that amount will be phased according to the number of houses sold.

The interpretation is that SKDC is intent on approving every housing application that comes its way, if not on the first time of asking then certainly on appeal, because more homes mean more council tax revenue, in this case another £60,000 a year, which supports the authority’s high-employment-high-salary ethic, rather than observe the niceties of the democratic process by recognising that this is an unwanted development for Bourne which already has far too many housing projects in progress and work has been currently halted on most of them because of the downturn in the economy.

The new residential scheme comprises 16 apartments, seven two and a half storey houses, 15 of them affordable, 19 two storey houses and five coach houses but town councillors complained that this would be oppressive over-development, visually intrusive and likely to cause road and safety problems, and that even 25 properties might be too many.

Ironically, the answer to housing density for affordable homes from past times can be seen in the immediate vicinity because the site is surrounded by council houses, in Harrington Street, Ancaster Road, Recreation Road and Alexandra Terraces. These were all solidly built by Bourne Urban District Council for rent by large families in the three up and two down style during the last century, mainly between 1914 and 1960 when the population was less than half of what it is now, and are still providing serviceable accommodation with a long life expectancy ahead. Many have also been bought under the Right to Buy scheme introduced by Margaret Thatcher under the Housing Act of 1985, thus allowing sitting tenants own the homes where they lived at discount prices.

Council houses are spacious with large gardens and lend themselves to easy maintenance and even enlargement by enthusiastic owners and so they have held their value, selling for much higher prices than the so-called affordable houses of today which are frequently bought by housing associations and rented out to problem and needy families. The policy of locating them within new residential areas of up market Georgian style properties is questionable and the evidence is that some tenants are causing friction with the neighbours, which appears to be happening at Elsea Park.

Soaring land prices mean that developers need to cram each acre with as many houses as possible to maintain their high profits and the result is that they are being built upwards instead of outwards, a hybrid of houses, flats and maisonettes, but they are becoming smaller still with minute gardens and parking spaces rather than garages while many forecast that the close density and sparse accommodation provided in some estates is creating the slums of the future. The implications of the latest scheme may be judged by the aerial photographs above which show the space given to six council houses built in nearby Recreation Road in 1928 to that which will be used for 47 properties in the laundry site development today.

The policy of a planning free for all does little for the future appearance of the town which is fast becoming a dumping ground for every unwanted residential development, irrespective of style, suitability and space. Our M P, Quentin Davies, has in the past warned this council about "handing out planning consents like so much confetti" and the people of Bourne are now saying that enough is enough. Those in the corridors of power at Grantham, and that includes our own councillors, have a duty to take heed of these serious concerns for the future of this town.

What the local newspapers are saying: Local authorities appear to have a knack of making themselves extremely unpopular and so it has been with South Kesteven Council which has incurred the wrath of the entire town for its ludicrous decision to ban the unfurling of our national flag over the Town Hall to celebrate St George’s Day last week on the grounds that it would breach health and safety regulations. Nothing could have angered people more than to prevent them from honouring our patron saint on that day set aside for the purpose and to be told that to haul his emblem up the flagpole might endanger life is the height of absurdity.

Flags for all seasons have flown from the Town Hall since it was built in 1821 which is as it should be because the building is the central point of this community, the hub of our administration, and to find a time honoured tradition hamstrung by such claptrap demeans the office from which it was issued. The explanation proffered to The Local newspaper (May 1st) by the council was baffling. “Putting a flag on the Town Hall is not as simple as pulling a rope and raising it into place”, said a spokesman. “The current process involves our site manager climbing an eight foot ladder which rests on a plinth which overlooks a spiked gate. We think this is too risky for our staff to do.”

Nothing could be quite as ludicrous and the absurdity of it all was not lost on our civic leaders. Councillor Brian Fines (Bourne West) was particularly outraged because as an ex-military man, he is involved with the arrangements for the Armed Forces Day in June when flags are again due to be flown. “What a sick, sad society we are becoming”, he told the newspaper. “Flags have been flown there for donkeys years.”

Unless the council relents, then the answer for future occasions is for volunteers to unfurl the flag instead. In the meantime, SKDC has a duty to seek out who issued this silly order which can only add to the poor reputation of the health and safety regime and bring the authority into disrepute into the bargain.

The decision to fence off the Abbey Lawn to deter vandals has dismayed many people who fear that unrestricted access to a popular open space may be lost. For the past two centuries, the grounds have been a focal point for the people of Bourne and therefore synonymous with the community spirit.

The site originally formed part of the grounds of Bourne Abbey but over the years the public were allowed to use it at the discretion of the vicar. There is no record of anyone ever being banned from using the Abbey Lawn and so it became the town's unofficial recreation ground and has been in use for such purposes for at least 200 years. The only time it has ever been enclosed was during the late 19th century although for a very different reasons. Fencing was erected to keep in livestock which was regularly grazed there but had disappeared by the time Bourne United Charities took over forty years later when a major overhaul was undertaken to prepare the area for its future role as a public playing field.

The land was eventually acquired by a syndicate of local businessmen who rented out the rights for cricket and football but when it came under threat from housing development, Bourne United Charities decided to buy it for the benefit of the town. The Charity Commissioners were approached and in January 1931 the purchase was sanctioned subject to a satisfactory valuation and by May that year, the transaction was agreed in the sum of £700, to which the cricket club, one of the main users, made a token donation of £20.

The idea for the purchase came from Horace Stanton (1897-1977), a local solicitor and clerk to the charity trustees who was responsible for the negotiations which he regarded as a way of providing Bourne with a playing field in perpetuity, drawing up the final design for the layout of the grounds himself and since then there has been a continuous programme of improvement and upkeep for both the sports playing areas and the outdoor swimming pool which is part of the complex. Since those days, the grounds have become the main centre for many sports, notably football and cricket, but also tennis, bowls, swimming and petanque. Hockey was played there until recently and during the last century there was a putting green which was a great attraction during the summer months.

The Abbey Lawn has therefore served the town well but recent events have prompted the trustees to seek planning permission to erect iron railings around the perimeter after repeated outbreaks of vandalism that have caused widespread damage including arson attacks on the premises of both the cricket and football clubs. Security guards have not been totally effective and fencing is regarded as the only solution, perhaps accompanied by a dusk to dawn curfew, a development regarded as necessary but not desirable and, as described at a recent meeting of the town council, a sad day for Bourne.

Message from abroad: What a joy to see the bluebells in Dole Wood which bring back lots of memories. Our weather is trying to be spring although snow and rain showers are forecast but on the bright side we now have over 16 hours of daylight. I really enjoy all of your articles. Thank you for keeping every one informed. - email from Winnie Nowak, Anchorage, Alaska, USA, Saturday 25th April 2009.

A blunder perpetrated almost 25 years ago came to light this week after an intensive investigation by electricians trying to find out why the light and extractor fan in our bathroom kept cutting out and blowing the fuse. The problem began a week before and prompted several visits and although the lads always made a thorough check before leaving with everything back in working order there was always a recurrence soon afterwards.

As one of them remarked: “We can mend any fault provided we know what it is” but this one was intermittent and so eluded them and after they left on Friday, the phantom failure occurred yet again over the weekend. They returned on Monday but this time they were successful because ten minutes in the loft with torches and lamps revealed that I had hammered a nail through one of the lighting circuit wires while installing insulation and laying floorboards back in 1986. In the intervening years, the punctured wire had clung on to life, sparking into a flame each time the light was switched on, the flashes from it clearly visible in the dark as the electricians showed me their discovery, the surrounding woodwork underneath that section of boarding smoke blackened, indicating that in a worst case scenario, there could have been a house fire.

The moral here is obviously that if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again and I am indebted to the lads from Town and Country for their patience and perseverance. The other point is that perhaps Napoleon was wrong when he said “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself” but then he never had to cope with electricity.

Thought for the week: Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. - George Smith Patton (1885-1945), distinguished though controversial officer in the United States army who made his mark during the Second World War.

Saturday 9^th May 2009

A reminder of past endeavours - lost but not forgotten

Preparations are underway for the Bourne in Bloom campaign, the annual effort to make the streets, gardens and open spaces look their best in the hope of impressing the judges when they make their visit this summer. We have already been honoured three times in recent years with silver awards in 2006, our first entry for thirty years, and again in 2007, followed by a silver gilt in 2008, and there are high hopes that a coveted gold may eventually come our way.

Unfortunately, the work usually falls on a few people with Mrs Nelly Jacobs, clerk to the town council, making a Trojan effort to organise and inspire but it is always hoped that others will flock to the cause. The mayor, Councillor Shirley Cliffe, is aware of what needs to be done to promote this aspect of civic pride because she told The Local: “We all need to put our rubber gloves on and get cracking” (May 1st).

The event is known as the East Midlands in Bloom competition, a community based project designed to encourage cleaner, smarter and more attractive town centres in the region. There are several sections and Bourne falls into Category B Towns, those with a population of between 6,000 and 12,000, based on the last electoral register. The judges arrive unannounced and tour the town looking out for floral displays, attractive and colourful gardens and parks and so it is important for everyone to give special attention to those places under their control whether it is merely the lawn and herbaceous borders or a public open space.

An indication of what is needed was given by one of the judges, Doug Stacey, when he spoke to the town council last week about this year’s event. “The competition originated in France and has been running for 45 years”, he said. “It leads to cleaner communities and encourages people to work together and take pride in their town.”

The town has received awards for cleanliness long before the current competition caught up with us but these past honours tend to be forgotten as have the plaques that were awarded then. In 1965, Bourne was judged to be the best kept small town in Kesteven (until the boundary changes of 1974, Lincolnshire was divided into three counties and we were in Kesteven) and the following February, Bourne Urban District Council which then ran our affairs, was presented with a metal plaque and trophy from the Council for the Preservation of Rural England for winning this competition. An additional prize was a tree of their own choice and the council selected a flowering cherry that was planted near the entrance to the Abbey Lawn during a civic ceremony where it still stands and the small plaque nearby amid a mass of undergrowth reminds us of this success and of those days when Bourne was a town of which we could be justly proud.

An award was won for a second time in 1978 when a similar trophy and metal plaque were awarded by the CPRE and by this time, Bourne had its own town council and the commemorative tree planting was carried out in the War Memorial gardens by the mayor, Councillor John Smith, with the mayoress, his wife Judy, in attendance. Unfortunately, even these tokens of our past glory have not been well maintained and most people do not even realise that they exist.

The current style of competition carries with it a greater involvement of the people and the chance to make our town centre streets attractive throughout the summer months, not just for the judges but also for the many visitors who arrive here with Bourne either as a destination or merely passing through. The work carried out along South Street where flowers are already in bloom is the perfect example of how a small market town should look at this time of the year and we should remember that if people like what they see then they will come again.

Improvements are finally being made to the Wellhead Gardens and although only picking at the edges, the work will be welcomed by those who have seen this local beauty spot deteriorate in recent years. The weeds that have been defacing the banks of St Peter’s Pool have been removed and hard core is being used to reinforce the footpath which runs from Baldock’s Mill in South Street and alongside the Bourne Eau which has become dangerous for walkers in wet weather.

The gardens are in fact looking their best at this time of the year and the cherry blossom alongside the main path is in full bloom while the new seats that were installed during the winter months are in constant use most days. But there is still much to be done and long may these improvements continue.

History has given us an impression of monks as being holy and pious, quietly going about their daily offices with due solemnity and dignity yet research shows that they too could be exposed to the temptations that beckon us all and often succumbed. The most turbulent period in English monasticism was the reformation of the 16th century when the Protestant church was established and the subsequent dissolution of the monasteries when their property and wealth was transferred to the crown in an attempt to boost royal income.

It was organised by Thomas Cromwell, closest advisor to Henry VIII who rose to become lord great chamberlain of England. He ordered a visitation of all monastic houses between 1535 and 1536 which revealed the hoped for examples of misconduct that provided moral justification for the policy, including some dubious carrying on at Bourne.

Research by the historian J D Birkbeck for his book A History of Bourne (1973) revealed that conditions at the abbey had already been found to be unsatisfactory during an earlier visitation by the vicar-general, John Rayne, when a formidable number of complaints were raised against the abbot, John Small, and the ten other Augustinian canons. The abbot had never rendered an account since his accession, and was slack in defending the rights of the monastery, so the rents had suffered. On certain nights, usually once a week, the canons made their formal departure upstairs and then came down again to drink, rising late for matins [morning service] as a result. Nor did they keep silence as they should have done. The prior usually sat drinking so late after compline [the last service of the evening] that he often did not go to matins at all. Lay people were freely allowed in the monastic buildings, even in the dormitory, where tailors and cobblers came to attend to the canons' wearing apparel.

Three of the canons, Henry Halton, John Todd, and Thomas Pounfrett, were disobedient to their superiors, while Pounfrett and another of the brethren spoke insulting words to the abbot. Halton, an elderly man, requested that he might have a room where he could lie in comfort and have a fire. But his years do not seem to have rendered him docile; he and Todd did not go to the choir services, but walked about the nave of the church. They neither sang, nor read, nor lay in the dormitory at times when they were convalescent; but they lay in the guest-house, where they drank, made merry, and chattered with others, early and late. These, and other faults mentioned, were not particularly outrageous, but it appears that the attempt at reform, made six years earlier, had broken down. The abbot had lost influence, discipline had almost gone, and the original monastic ideals had been largely forgotten.

There was no further opportunity for reform as the shadow of extinction was spreading over the monasteries of the kingdom. In 1536, after a swift investigation by Henry VIII's commissioners, the smaller houses were closed, so bringing to an end the 400-year story of Bourne Abbey. Once the abbey had been suppressed, the building fell into swift decay except for the church itself which remained after 1536, the chancel becoming part of the parish church as the nave always had been. Some of the available stone was removed to build or repair houses in the neighbourhood and it has been claimed that the last remains of the kitchen only disappeared in the late 19th century. It also appears that the tithe barn which stood in Church Lane survived for a considerable period and a map of the town drawn in 1827 shows a continuous building from the church northwards along Church Lane as far as the present entrance to the vicarage and the church hall which might well have been part of the building.

From the archives: The Lincolnshire giantess - On Monday night, died at Rippingale, near Bourne, aged 16, Ann Hardy, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Hardy, of that place. This young woman had attained the extraordinary height of seven feet two inches and had attracted much attention in this part of the country, having for a considerable time past been publicly exhibited at fairs etc as a phenomenon. Her father is a man not more than five feet six inches in height and her mother only of middling stature. The coffin measured seven feet and a half in length and two feet seven inches across the shoulders. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 21st July 1815.

There are signs that more burglar alarms are being installed around the town, prompted perhaps by break-ins in the vicinity or perhaps inspired by the formation of additional Neighbourhood Watch groups. I approve of the community involvement to deter criminals because the culprits face a constant and united vigilance to repel them from behind the net curtains but an electronic device appears to be a stable door policy because it will only sound after the event and in the meantime cost big bucks for installation and maintenance.

There is also the nuisance and apathy factor which prevails whenever it goes off for who has not cursed and then ignored the sound of a domestic alarm ringing incessantly as one passes with no one taking the slightest interest in the possibility that someone’s premises are being violated so long as it is not your own. The appearance of the logo box on the front of the house also announces that there are things inside worth stealing and most determined intruders know how to short circuit even the most elaborate of wiring to gain entry once they get this invitation. This may therefore be money wasted. Compare it to the car alarm which has similar specifications, only sounding when someone has broken into the vehicle, whereas taking simple precautions may be more effective.

Actually, nothing is perfect because we live in an imperfect world. The stroke patient will ask the doctor “Why me?” and the answer is invariably no more specific than bad luck. Crash your car or be attacked in the street and the police will summarise the incident as one of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like lightning strikes, human calamity is sporadic, inexplicable and unpredictable and the professionals are flummoxed when asked for explanations about the ill winds that blow indiscriminately down the alleyways of personal experience.

Most burglaries are opportunist crimes. Electronic warnings play little part in their prevention by the determined wrongdoer. They are a placebo for the perpetually anxious and the insurance companies know this. Ask them for a discount on your house cover after the gubbins has been installed and they will refer you to the small print. But then if it gives your peace of mind, what harm is there provided you do not expect results.

Thought for the week: A man who has nothing can whistle in a robber's face. - Juvenal, otherwise Decimus Junius Juvenalis (AD 55-127), powerful Roman writer, poet and satirist.

Saturday 16^th May 2009

The work now underway to make the town clean and smart for the forthcoming East Midlands in Bloom competition is a reminder that we do have a reputation for looking our best whenever a special occasion looms. Never was this more evident than in July 1953 when the nation was celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, an event that aroused the entire country and as the Stamford Mercury reported: “Bourne rose worthily to the occasion with its decorations with a view to making the day a memorable one for all and it is doubtful if more effective steps have ever been taken to make Hereward’s town look more glamorous.”

The Abbey Church and the Town Hall were illuminated and coloured lights adorned the entrance to the Abbey Lawn, streamers were stretched across the main streets while baskets of flowers hanging from doorways and window sills gave an added touch of festivity and the decorations on the memorial fountain in the market place were a work of art. The Tudor Cinema in North Street (now a Chinese restaurant), banks, hotels and private premises were also made to look their best with floodlighting and street lights adding to the gay appearance of the town. “Bourne is rather famous for its decorations on occasions of national celebrations and local events”, said the newspaper, “and the display did credit to the occupiers of the premises in the centre of the town while council employees must have worked hard to complete the scene. In all cases, there was dignity and the task must have involved considerable thought and discussion.”

There is a lot of work to be done to match valiant efforts such as this, mainly because volunteers are less numerous than in past times while opportunities for dropping litter in the streets have become more profuse as a result of fast food outlets, supermarket packaging, an increased slovenliness in personal behaviour and a reduction in street cleaning services by our local authorities. The pavement outside the Town Hall on Monday morning, for instance, was a sea of litter gusting to and fro like flotsam in a strong breeze with everyone passing by taking little notice.
This may have been an exceptional occurrence, especially after a weekend when extremes in social behaviour tend to surface in town centre streets, but had the judges of the East Midlands in Bloom competition been passing that way then all hopes of any award would have plummeted beyond recovery.

What the local newspapers are saying: South Kesteven District Council now has a declared policy of buying up land for the proposed £27 million redevelopment of Bourne town centre despite a succession of setbacks that have put the entire project in doubt. The Local newspaper reports (May 16th) that this will be the way forward from now on although the authority admits that it has finally parted company with yet another developer, the second since the project was first mooted eight years ago.

Henry Davidson Developments were originally selected to do the work from among three contractors who submitted schemes for public exhibition in December 2004 but after prolonged negotiations and many delays, the company was dropped by the council in August 2006 and Wilson-Bowden and Dencora asked to take over. But the newspaper now says that they too have pulled out of talks for this purpose and the contract, as they say, is up for grabs. Not wishing to be seen inactive at this time, the council therefore tells the newspaper that they have been forced to change tactics because of the recession. The town centre redevelopment project was announced in August 2001 with a projected start in 2004 yet not a brick has been laid and now that the council cannot even find a developer, the economic crisis that has overtaken the country has become a convenient scapegoat and the newspaper quotes the authority as saying: “Because of the downturn, a formal tender is no longer a viable option and we are now focusing on buying as much of the site as possible before signing up a new developer.”

This will not be good news for landowners and shopkeepers within the designated area, that triangle of land between North Street, West Street and Burghley Street. Almost 40 properties are included although a revision of the original boundary may add several more, and tenants are already becoming extremely restive and some even reluctant to vacate their properties while others such as the owners of the Masonic lodge in Wherry’s Lane will need some time to relocate and perhaps even build alternative premises.

Nevertheless, purchases continue with the council claiming a 37% holding and this appears to be their future course of action with £3 million set aside for future deals. “The more sites we can acquire the more desirable the project becomes to a developer”, says senior estates surveyor Nick Vass. “It means that we are in a more responsible bargaining position. We are trying to create the right climate in the current economic circumstances and ensure delivery of the scheme. We will continue unabated and I do not think this will hold things up. There is still plenty do to and we are in ongoing discussions with site owners.”

Completion of the project, however, remains elusive. “The council is still aiming for a deadline of 2012 although it might be delivered in phases”, reports the newspaper but as has been suggested before, if you are over sixty years old it is doubtful if you will see it come to fruition.

Meanwhile, the Stamford Mercury announces that the redesign of the Town Hall at Bourne has been put on hold pending a review of council services for the town (May 8th). It was announced last November that the building was to become a Community Access Point or one-stop centre for local government, centralising services provided by our three councils under the same roof, a scheme agreed by Lincolnshire County Council, South Kesteven District Council and Bourne Town Council after receiving positive feedback during a public consultation in August although not having been told how many people actually participated, we may assume that the whole idea was cooked up in a backroom at the district council offices in Grantham.

It is envisaged that the Town Hall will eventually house a multitude of services such as a customer counter, computer suite, offices and a meeting area for the town council, offices for the district council, the public library, a lift to the first floor to solve the ongoing problem of disabled access and probably the relocation of the registrar of births, marriages and deaths, currently based in West Street. All of these aspects of the project, and no doubt more will be added as time goes by, are the responsibility of different authorities and departments and as all are wildly overstaffed by people anxious to justify their existence and will need to be consulted, the resulting mayhem can only be imagined.

This column suggested at the time that the change will involve a complicated process liable to turn into a bureaucratic Tower of Babel and we could therefore expect several years of protracted negotiations with nothing being done and this forecast appears to be coming true because Andrew McCarter, the community access point manager (yes, indeed), told the newspaper: “We need to ensure funding used to meet the needs of customers and deliver the best services so we have delayed the development until this option has been fully explored and detailed.” This Orwellian Newspeak favoured by local authorities as a substitute for plain English is obviously contagious because the last paragraph of the newspaper report says: “It is hoped the review will be completed by August when the community access point scheme will be revisited.”

Many of the roads around Bourne remain a moonscape of poor maintenance despite the protestations of Lincolnshire County Council, the highways authority, that procedures are in place to fill in potholes as and when they occur. These hazards are caused by wear and weathering, creating a real danger to passing vehicles, and twice in recent years new initiatives have been launched with promises of a lorry loaded with tarmac and a couple of workmen on call ready to speed to the outposts of the county whenever they are reported yet a short drive from where I live will reveal many such hazards that have been awaiting attention for quite some time.

The pothole code is even itemised on the county council’s web site reminding us that the authority has a statutory duty to maintain adopted roads and paths and this includes making safe such potentially dangerous defects yet despite the admitted existence of these Pothole Patrol Gangs who, it is claimed, will temporarily repair the defect normally within 24 hours, I have yet to see them in action but then that is often the way of local government, all mouth and trousers.

We should not underestimate the size of the task for the authority which looks after some 5,600 miles of roads as well as footpaths and cycleways and has the responsibility of keeping all road users safe and to reduce accidents. But we do seem to have rather at lot of potholes at the present time. My pictures show just a few which I photographed this week on a ten minute drive around the town without even trying to seek them out, taking in Meadowgate, Manning Road, Queen’s Road, Mill Drove and Stephenson Way, as well as Ancaster Road and South Fen Road which have both been notoriously bad for several months and some have been there so long that they were sprouting weeds. Now that these hazards have been publicly brought to the attention of the council, it will be interesting to see whether the promised solution will actually be delivered and perhaps the two county councillors from Bourne who are hoping to retain their seats in the forthcoming local elections might take up the baton on behalf of the town.

The decline in our bird population can best be judged by reading the archives from past times because newspaper reports and official documents reveal that many species were far more numerous two and three hundred years ago than they are today. The house sparrow, for instance, or Passer domesticus to give its Latin name, was so prolific in the 19th century that it was considered to be a pest in some districts. Yet this noisy and gregarious bird, perhaps even the favourite of many households because of its constant appearances all year round, is in decline and numbers reported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds during their 2009 Big Garden Birdwatch earlier this year reveal that they have fallen in both gardens and the wider countryside by 63% since 1979, thus earning them a place on the Red List of threatened species.

What a change from 1850 when the parish overseers at the village of Horbling, ten miles north of Bourne, were so perplexed by an influx of sparrows which were so numerous that they had become a nuisance and so they sought help in getting rid of them from their friends at nearby Billingborough asking them “to take into consideration the destruction of sparrows which of late have so accumulated”.

These were the days before wildlife was protected yet even for the less squeamish, the solution does seem rather drastic because parish officers at Billingborough advised their Horbling neighbours “to offer the populace a one penny reward as an inducement to the avaricious inhabitants for the capture of four full grown sparrows, six young sparrows or twelve eggs fresh from the marauders’ nests”. The entry proposing this destruction was duly made in the Vestry Book at Billingborough where domestic issues great and small were recorded although we are not told whether the advice was followed and if indeed it proved to be effective. We can only wonder what the outcry might be today if such a course of action were to be proposed if ever these popular little birds were to suddenly descend upon us in hordes rather than the 3.7 sparrows per garden which is the current average daily appearance of this declining species although farm chemicals and the activities of domestic cats continue to wreak havoc on our bird population without any real objections.

Thought for the week: God gave a loaf to every bird, but just a crumb to me. - Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), reclusive and eccentric American writer who published only a dozen of her 1,800 poems during her lifetime but is now acknowledged as a major poet.

Saturday 23^rd May 2009

The new Abbey Lawn entrance - see "The ornate gates . . . "

The power of the press was demonstrated this week when South Kesteven District Council rescinded its ban on flying flags over the Town Hall at Bourne after being subjected to ridicule around the world. The worrying thing is that it should never have happened because it is the role of local authorities to promote rather than prohibit.

Three weeks ago, the local newspapers reported that the council had refused to fly the flag to celebrate St George’s Day last month and that the decision was likely to be enforced indefinitely. Monarchs, the end of wars and major events have all been celebrated in this way for almost two centuries and someone at the council ought to have realised that such a ban would cause a furore. After all, the authority employs more than 700 people including a chief executive, a chairman, a political leader and five other executive councillors as well as a public relations department, yet no one spoke up to end this farce.

The result was inevitable and, better late than never, the story was eventually picked up by the wider media, riding to the rescue like the United States cavalry in a Hollywood movie to right the wrong. Television, radio and the national press were soon reporting the tale around the world with relish which did little for the council’s reputation and giving the nation the opportunity for a few more guffaws at the often ridiculous conduct of our local authorities and particularly the one based in Grantham.

The tale was well aired by many newspapers which gave it prominence saying that the "barmy bureaucrats" had also banned the union flag for the Queen’s birthday on June 13th and Armed Forces Day on June 27th because the council maintained that it was too risky to ask the site manager to climb an eight-foot ladder and unfurl it over the Town Hall, a decision deemed to be "ridiculous, annoying and upsetting and an insult to the bravery of our servicemen".

Fortunately, the council has now relented, the ban rescinded and the flag will fly over Bourne in the future. The volte-face is fully covered by the Stamford Mercury whose front page report (May 22nd) has an almost Churchillian ring with the headline: “Victory in our time. Yes, we CAN fly the flag to support our brave troops after a public outcry forces a council U-turn.” The newspaper also carries the belated explanation from SKDC in full, quoting the corporate head, Paul Stokes: “We are implementing a short term solution which will allow the flag to be raised on the two occasions this summer and we are also finalising a long term solution for all future occasions. It was never our intention to cause any distress and I would like to thank the people of Bourne for their patience.”

A final word from town councillor Brian Fines, aged 72, an ex-army officer and chairman of the Armed Forced Day committee who led the protest against bureaucracy, sums up this unnecessary incident. He told the newspaper: “Overall it makes me feel better but they have only got their act together because of all the publicity. That’s the sadness. It is the pressure and embarrassment. That is the reason why they are doing it.”

What the local newspapers are also saying: Everyone in public life is flattered by fan mail and I was pleased to read a letter in The Local (May 15th) from someone who enjoyed my article about the Paris fashion designer Charles Worth (1825-95) who was born at Wake House in North Street and his insistence on keeping in touch with his home town once he had left to seek his fortune in the world. It was signed by R Britton, of Millfield Road, Morton, but she was not entirely happy about my contribution. “I am always surprised that Rex seems to say as little as possible about Wake House use today and in the town guide he just says it is a community centre”, she wrote and then went on to protest that as the building was used by some 45 groups, it deserved a little more than a passing reference in my writings.

Oh dear, I think that R Britton misunderstands my role in all of this. The subject of these articles is the history and heritage of Bourne and not current affairs. In addition, I am merely a contributor and not the editor of The Local or the town guide and have no control over their content and so if she wants coverage of her pet project then they are the ones to contact. In the meantime, if she wishes to know any more about Wake House, then perhaps she ought to read A Portrait of Bourne (on CD-ROM) which contains an illustrated and detailed account of Wake House since it was built in 1800.

A thought has occurred to me while writing this item. Is R Britton, I wonder, the Roberta May Britton (Labour) who is standing in the forthcoming local government elections for the Bourne Abbey seat on Lincolnshire County Council? If so, she will probably be campaigning down our street very soon, this being my ward, and perhaps Roberta would like to drop in for a cup of tea in order that I can put her right on this issue, give her a free copy of A Portrait of Bourne and tell her a little more about the town she aspires to represent.

The ornate gates at the main entrance to the Abbey Lawn are back in place after a restoration programme which has also involved the erection of new supporting brick pillars on either side and paving for the surrounding area. The project was undertaken by Bourne United Charities which administers the playing field following a structural examination last year and as a result, they have been strengthened and repaired, shot-blasted, re-painted and re-hung and the result looks impressive.

These handsome wrought iron gates that have dominated the street scene for the past seventy years are at least 200 years old and were hand-forged by a blacksmith during the 18th century when they were made to order for a stately home in Derbyshire where they graced one of the entrances to the estate. In 1933, the owners decided to replace them and they were sold off as surplus to requirements but were spotted by local solicitor Horace Stanton, then clerk to Bourne United Charities, who bought them and arranged for them to be transported to Bourne to be installed by William Friend, an agricultural engineer and specialist in metal work, who was in business here at that time, and when they arrived, he made the two smaller side gates to match.

The entrance had just been built as part of the improvements to the Abbey Lawn which had been acquired by BUC when it came under threat from housing development with the intention of preserving it as an open space for the town in perpetuity and since then there has been a continuous programme of improvement and upkeep for both the sports playing areas and the outdoor swimming pool which is part of the complex. Work is now expected to begin later this year on erecting iron railings around the grounds in an attempt to deter vandalism that has caused many problems in recent years.

The old Woolworths store at No 13 North Street which was vacated soon after Christmas is back in business but this time selling frozen food and groceries at discounted prices. Heron Foods, which is based in Hull, has around 115 similar branches around the country including Spalding, Grimsby and Louth in Lincolnshire, and the company has chosen Bourne after some research into future market prospects.

Bourne is pleased to have the empty shop back in business before the town centre became blighted and this would appear to be the consensus among shoppers. Councillor Shirley Cliffe, who was among the early visitors, found herself among large crowds of people out for a bargain, and she echoed the general opinion. “This is good for Bourne”, she told the Stamford Mercury (May 15th). “The prices are low and people can now do their shopping in the centre of town.” The mayor, Councillor Trevor Holmes, was equally enthusiastic. “It can only be a good thing for the town centre and it is pleasing to have a major retail unit up and running again.”

It will also be beneficial to have a competitor for Sainsburys at last for although we have all come to like and even depend on this outlet since it opened ten years ago, the company has more or less had its own way since Budgens closed in April 2008 and popularity can have its downside, as can be seen from rising prices and the manic crowds that press the aisles at busy periods. Heron will not be a major competitor but one generating a sufficient volume of business to make close monitoring of their own activities essential now that there is another kid on the block although three other stores that sell a similar range of food, McColls in West Street, Two-Jays in the Burghley Arcade and Rainbow in Manning Road, may also feel the draught.

Woolworths had a problem of access for the delivery of goods which came through the front door on North Street and although Heron has opened up a rear entrance from Burghley Street, some consignments are still arriving in this way, even at busy times such as Saturday mornings. There will also be an inconvenience for customers who will have to carry everything they buy back to their cars at some distant parking place and that may restrict purchases whereas the trolley load is the limit at Sainsburys which is surrounded by a free car park. The management realise the difficulties and although only a few trolleys are available, each has been fitted with a metal rod rather like a flagpole, presumably to prevent it from being wheeled out through the front door. The message to customers is therefore buy as much as you like but once outside with the shopping, you are on your own.

We have subscribed to the British Gas three star protection plan for our central heating for well over twenty years and have always been satisfied with the service. Until now, that is. The engineers call once a year to check the boiler and system but recently the visit has invariably ended with them trying to sell something, usually a replacement boiler, a gas fire or a carbon monoxide alarm and this sales pitch annoys me intensely.

Some have been persistent to the point of impertinence and I see from the consumer columns of the national newspapers that our experience is not an isolated one. Although now getting on in years, I still have sufficient confidence to see off the pushiest of these pests but there are some people of similar antiquity who cannot and in any case, I deem it offensive to be forced into such a position in my own home by someone who has been invited in solely to service the boiler.

I am therefore grateful to our Neighbourhood Watch group for sending me some sound advice during the current National Rogue Trader Week advising me that it is illegal for any tradesman who enters the premises by invitation to do one thing and then convert the visit into a sales pitch. The information is well worth remembering and so I repeat it here for future reference. The Consumer Protection Regulations of 1987 gives the definition of an unsolicited visit to which the scenario I have outlined above applies, viz: A requested visit will be “unsolicited” if the trader introduces "new" goods or services during the visit. Cut this out and pin it on the kitchen notice board for future reference. It may come in handy.

Thought for the week: The salesman knows nothing of what he is selling save that he is charging a great deal too much for it. - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Irish poet, novelist and author known for his biting wit who became a successful playwright and celebrity in late Victorian London.

Saturday 30^th May 2009

The excesses of our M Ps and their expenses continue to be a talking point around the town and have undoubtedly damaged their status in the country but despite the gravity of the situation, there is still room for humour as demonstrated by this sign which was spotted this week at the entrance to Fenland Shops Ltd in Abbey Road.

Reports from the front line also indicate that candidates in the forthcoming local government elections are taking the fallout from the scandal even though several of those standing are independent of any political party. Some have reported total indifference and even rudeness on the doorstep from people who have become disenchanted with the system and unfortunately all seem to have been tarred with the same brush.

Two seats on Lincolnshire County Council are being contested on Thursday 4th June with five candidates for the Bourne Abbey Ward and three for Bourne Castle and although not all canvas door-to-door, their leaflets drop through the letter box like so much confetti and you will most probably be getting a call from at least one of them between now and polling day.

One of the candidates tells me door knocking indicates that a large number of people will not be voting because of the current media exposure over M Ps and some of the criticism has been vociferous to the point of rudeness despite pointing out the need to vote if only to ensure that a boycott of the democratic system could produce an undesirable result. In other words, a positive vote for any one of the candidates is better than no vote at all and, as our candidate pointed out: “Not all of us are money-grabbing politicians and many of us consider our role as that of advocate rather than a party animal.”

This is one of the unfortunate effects of the current newspaper exposures that have made the nation very angry indeed and it is unfortunate that the local, and indeed the European, elections are being held at this time. But the people feel helpless and have no way of venting their feelings except upon someone who suddenly appears on the doorstep as part of the hustings and is therefore identified with the system and regarded as fair game for their resentment. That is the way things are but it is regrettable that the current climate of public opinion is likely to be the lowest turnout in history as a result.

Nevertheless, the election goes on and for those who need to be reminded of the candidates, here is the list and the voting station and a note of polling hours will have been included on your official poll card that will have been delivered by post.

The viability of moving the weekly market back on to the streets has for some strange reason returned to the agenda at Bourne Town Council even though experience has proved this to be a non-starter, both practically and financially. Those who advocate such a move in the expectation that it will stimulate more trade conjures up the sight of stalls ranged along North Street and West Street through rose-tinted glasses, an image that belongs firmly in the past.

Yet The Local reports (May 29th) that the subject came up again for discussion at a meeting of the amenities committee on Tuesday when Councillor Kirsty Roche (Bourne East) suggested that abandoning the paved and purpose-built market square behind the Town Hall and returning to the system of yesteryear might bring more people back and promote the town while a moment’s thought would have demonstrated that both objectives stand little chance of success. The sentiment behind the thinking is worthy for although an evocative scene from Victorian England that a street market might evoke would look good, traders strung out alongside a major trunk road such as the A15 have no place in the modern Bourne we are trying to create as well as being downright dangerous as has been proven in the past.

The market has been a feature of life in Bourne for more than 700 years under a Royal Charter granted by King Edward I in 1279 and was held in the market place or town centre until recent years when the stalls became a traffic hazard and both traders and shoppers were put at risk by passing vehicles. The system was also inconvenient and uncomfortable with packed pavements and pedestrians unable to pass or get into the shops. In short, it was a mess and when a lady shopper was almost killed by a passing lorry, South Kesteven District Council rightly stepped in and opened the off-street market site in December 1990.

There is also a great deal of myth associated with the street market of past times and many conjure up visions of 100 or more stalls even though the population then was less than half of what it is today. The truth is that 20-30 traders is nearer the mark, perhaps even less, as proven by archive photographs of the town in past times, and as there are more than twenty stalls operating at the Thursday market at the present site most weeks, it is difficult to find evidence that moving back to the streets would be more beneficial today. By all means we should remember the old days and a picture postcard idea of a street market does have a nostalgic appeal but it would be quite impractical today and our local authorities have made the right decision to drop the idea of stalls on the streets which should remain the stuff of memory.

There was also a suggestion at the meeting that the market might be moved as part of the £27 million redevelopment of the town centre which is likely to come to fruition at some time in the future and perhaps the architects, when chosen, might look at this suggestion again but the projected scheme does not lend itself to archaic ideas and so a central landscaped area of trees, seats and water features would be far more acceptable for the preferred design rather than turning back the clock and incorporating an amenity that might prove to be incongruous and is in any case, perfectly suited to its present location.

The evidence is that old people are no longer popular with the public. They are regarded as a nuisance, an imposition on the country and should be quietly disposed of. This may sound drastic but it is the distilled essence of a recent discussion on the Bourne Forum. Someone had suggested that driving at 40 mph on the road was unacceptable and that anyone who tried it should either increase speed or clear out of the way to allow others free access. One elderly contributor who confessed to being in his nineties, admitted that after a lifetime behind the wheel this was his usual speed which is not only within the law but also an observance of the Highway Code. The majority were against him, culminating in a suggestion that he was so in his dotage that he ought to take a driving test. Several subsequent contributions were deleted as being deliberately offensive and I repeat them here anonymously in order that you may understand current thinking about the elderly who may be your parents or grandparents:

* Sunday drivers should have a lane of their own allowing the rest of us who have not yet retired to get on with making the money to pay their pensions. Or we could have a vote on euthanasia for the terminally slow driver.
* If you believe you have a right to drive at 40 mph and hold everyone up, you deserve someone ramming you. Get off the roads.
* I propose we shoot them. Bourne is full of excellent marksmen as well as being full of pensioners living on pensions that my generation will never see the like of.

Old people have become a problem because they are living too long and no one realises it more than they do. But they are not a major factor in road accidents which are caused more by young people with far less driving experience. It is also a travesty of the truth to regard them as life’s useless fodder merely because they are no longer in employment or because they prefer to take precautions and avoid risk taking when out on the road.

They have been the lifeblood of this nation, through peace and war, and their efforts have kept this country going in good times and bad. Few receive the remuneration suggested and many are living on the edge of poverty which is kept at bay only by a few pounds in savings accrued by financial prudence in past years. Many are also much more intelligent and well informed than the majority and some even have the benefit of experience of elder statesmen. To bundle them together in a job lot of worthlessness is equivalent to accusing all young people of lacking judgement, having few skills and unable to read or write correctly, all of which are regularly demonstrated on the Forum.

Both generalisations are incorrect. We depend on our young people to build the country of tomorrow but in the meantime, rubbish our old people at your peril because one day, this will be you.

Quite by coincidence, the motoring guru Jeremy Clarkson has outlined the benefits of driving at 40 mph and so the belligerent few who want the roads entirely to themselves may fortunately find themselves in the minority. Writing in The Sunday Times this week he points out that people have begun to drive more slowly and although some might argue that this is because the speed cameras are doing their job, the real reason is that driving economically at 40 rather than 70 happens to be a good idea (May 24th). The Americans call it hypermiling and it will cost a little time but save a lot of money. “If I drive normally, it costs around £50 in fuel to get my Mercedes to London and back”, he writes. “If I drive carefully, it’s around £35. The nationwide slowdown has also met with a great deal of cheering from many quarters but the petrol heads will not get used to it. They will swear and curse and overtake the slowcoaches in dangerous places and there will be many more accidents. The only way you will get everyone to stick to the speed limits is by forcing them to do it with satellite guidance. The technology is with us now so all that’s missing is the legislation.”

From the archives: Seats have been damaged, flags removed, flowers uprooted and land flooded as a result of vandalism in and around the Wellhead field at Bourne. Now Bourne United Charities, owners of the field, are offering a reward for information leading to conviction of the culprits. “There is the greater concern among the trustees about the constant damage being done to their property”, says the chairman, Canon Gordon Lanham. “The damage is costing money that could well be used in other directions to benefit the people of Bourne.” Recent acts of senselessness include removal of flags from the War Memorial, uprooting newly planted flowers on the beds of the Memorial Gardens, removal of seats on the Wellhead field which have been thrown into the pool and across a fence surrounding a greenhouse. Seats on the field and at the Abbey Lawn have been damaged and when vandals interfered with an overflow pipe and the drainage system of the Wellhead field, adjoining ground was seriously flooded. - news report from the Lincolnshire Free Press, Tuesday 8th March 1977.

Thought for the week: If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers. - Joseph Wood Krutch (1893-1970) American writer, critic and naturalist.

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