|
Saturday 3rd July 2010
Exotic plants growing in Bourne - see "One of the more . . . "
Ambitious celebrations to mark one of Bourne’s greatest
sporting achievements have been suggested by one of our town councillors, Helen
Powell, who is currently rallying support among local organisations. In 1962,
the BRM which was designed and produced locally, became the first all-British
car to win the world championship, bringing honour to Raymond Mays and his team
and to the town and it is hoped that the 50th anniversary in two years’ time
will be suitably remembered.
Councillor Powell has already begun by sending letters to the town council,
Bourne United Charities, the Civic Society, Bourne Business Club and others
suggesting that the event is worthy of a major occasion and that planning should
start soon to prepare for it.
The BRM was the inspiration of Raymond Mays (1899-1980), a motor racing pioneer
who made his name behind the wheel and in 1934 he began work on a car intended
to crack the competition from foreign drivers who had wrested most of the
important track records at that time. He began with the ERA and it was to be
some years before the first BRM was developed but after trials at Folkingham
airfield in 1949 it became obvious that he was on to a winner and although there
were failures as well as success, the car was soon proving to be formidable
competition.
The 1962 title was decided on a points basis with the best five results from
nine events during the season but the defining moment for BRM came at the Grand
Prix meeting held at the East London track in South Africa on Saturday 29th
December when the main opposition, Jim Clark in a Lotus, was forced to retire
with engine trouble thus leaving Graham Hill to complete the remaining nineteen
laps and zoom past the chequered flag, giving him not only the race but also the
world championship.
The BRM team was subsequently honoured by Bourne Urban District Council on March
13th the following year with a civic reception at the Corn Exchange hosted by
the mayor, Councillor Florence Tipler, when driver Graham Hill was presented
with a silver salver to mark his achievement. Coincidentally, I was present on
this occasion as a reporter for the BBC, interviewing both Graham Hill and
Raymond Mays, and a lively occasion it turned out to be. Since then, the town’s
motor racing reputation has been further enhanced by the opening of a Raymond
Mays Memorial Room at the Heritage Centre in South Street and the erection of a
stone memorial on the grass verge nearby.
Councillor Powell is anxious that this success should not go by unnoticed when
the 50th anniversary comes along and she is proposing a memorable day for Bourne
with a series of events which would attract thousands of visitors to the town to
share in the celebration. Preliminary suggestions include a street market with
stalls and entertainment, an art exhibition, a bandstand in the War Memorial
gardens with brass band concerts, poetry recitals, a fancy dress competition and
a fireworks display and even re-enactments from the life of our local hero,
Hereward the Wake.
Any celebration of our heritage is to be welcomed but an event on this scale
would need careful planning and Councillor Powell is hoping to arouse sufficient
enthusiasm to inspire the formation of an organising committee. It is certainly
no good leaving it until 2012 when it will be far too late to arrange any
substantial celebration and so the opportunity will be lost.
What the local newspapers are saying: Two interesting letters were
printed in the correspondence columns of The Local last week and both
concerned traffic issues about which there appears to be no information
forthcoming from the highways authority, namely Lincolnshire County Council
(June 25th).
Helen Goulding of Saxon Way, Bourne, wrote a detailed account of several
problems that have surfaced in recent months such as the speed bumps that have
been installed in various streets, thus diverting the problem of through traffic
elsewhere, the badly designed zebra crossing in West Street, the potential
danger of the central pedestrian pen in the town centre and the lack of
regulation on the A151 at Morton where children cross regularly during the rush
hour to go to school.
She points out that there have been other protest letters on these subjects yet
the authority is slow to listen to suggestions that might improve matters and
even includes a caveat in its emails preventing the contents from being quoted
in the press. “If the council were transparent and accountable”, she writes, “it
would have nothing to hide. Somehow, we need to make it listen so that it keeps
us safe while spending our money appropriately.”
This complaint would appear to be a worthwhile cause for our two county
councillors of whom little has been heard since they were elected. The mere fact
that such a letter has appeared in the newspaper should spur them into action
and allay the fears that are fast building up in Bourne about these issues.
Mrs Goulding is not alone in her concern either, because another letter in the
same newspaper deals with a similar problem, this time the temporary traffic
lights that were operating for six days on the A6141 between Stamford Hill and
Toft. Warwick Banks, of Witham-on-the-Hill, said that despite this precaution,
there was no evidence whatsoever of any work being carried out to the highway,
the footpath or verges. “Some digging around a telegraph pole two metres from
the verge had been undertaken”, he wrote, “but this did not occupy anything like
six days, more like one, if that. These lights were simply an obstruction and no
doubt made drivers frustrated and angry. I requested an explanation from the
relevant county councillor but he has not deigned to reply.”
Councillors are elected to serve the people they represent yet too often they
disappear after the hustings and are never heard of again until the next time
they want our votes. Both letters call for some sort of reaction from the
appropriate representatives with personal approaches to the persons who have
complained and a statement to the newspaper which printed their letters because
these are matters that concern everyone and we would all like to know the
answers.
One of the more unusual industries in Bourne is celebrating the award of
a 24th consecutive gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, the
world-famous Royal Horticultural Society and a shop window for the highest
quality in gardening and growing. Southfield Nurseries specialises in cacti and
some 800 varieties from all parts of the globe can be found growing at their
massive glasshouse complex just off the main A15 north of Bourne.
A cactus (the plural is cacti) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae
which is mainly native to the Americas and often used as an ornamental plant
although some are also processed for fodder, forage, fruits and cochineal while
it has been known since ancient times that numerous species have psychedelic
effects. These plants all have one thing in common in that they look very odd
indeed but all are strangely attractive.
This venture, appropriately known as Cactusland, is run by a husband and wife
team, Bryan and Linda Goodey, and now the country’s leading and largest retail
cactus nursery where thousands of cacti and succulent plants can be seen and
purchased from 22,000 square feet of space all under one roof.
Bryan has been growing cacti commercially for over 30 years, initially at
Holton-le-Clay in the north-east of the county and at Morton since 1994. His
interest began as a small boy when he was given a cactus at the Lincolnshire
Agricultural Show, a Ferocactus which he called Fred, and still has. But
he was soon breeding his own hybrids with interesting colour variations and
increasing flowering times and recording some very successful results.
Their plants are now displayed at many of the prestigious annual shows from
April to September such as Harrogate and Malvern, Gardeners World Live and the
RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park but their major successes have been at the
Chelsea Flower Show where the 24th gold medal was won last month. If you want to
take a look at these fascinating plants and perhaps buy some of them, then
Cactusland is open to the public most days in the summer months although you
would need to make an appointment during the winter. They also have a web site
which you can access through our own Bourne Links.
The town has many active organisations catering for all tastes and it is
therefore sad to hear that one of the more prestigious, the Bourne Tory Ladies
Tea Club, has closed down through lack of support after 52 years. For more than
half a century, members have met, mostly on Friday afternoons, at Conservative
Party headquarters in North Street, to chat over a cup of tea and hear selected
guests speaking on a variety of topics. But recent meetings have not been well
attended and only 12 turned up for the final engagement last week (on June
25th).
It was a sad occasion but celebrated with suitable élan and Dorothy Alexander,
stalwart member and latterly chairman, tells me: "It is rather sad after 52 very
active years but lifestyles have changed and in particular to women. Where we
should be welcoming the 30 year olds plus it is not the case. There are careers
to consider or the necessity to take employment. The decision to close down was
not taken lightly but with attendances of twelve at a meeting it was not
practical. Many lasting friendships have been made over the years and we went
out with a bang on Friday with strawberries and Buck’s Fizz."
Bourne is bursting out all over as the town prepares for the East
Midlands in Bloom competition which is due to be judged later this month. This
year will be a critical entry for after having scored several silver successes
in recent years there are high hopes that we may be in the running for the
prestigious gold award.
Flowers are blooming everywhere, in the town centre, outside shops and in the
streets, in the grounds of the Darby and Joan Hall where the boat display
introduced last year has another colourful offering as well as a line of hanging
baskets on the outside of the building while in the War Memorial Gardens nearby,
500 geraniums have been planted by girl guides, brownies and rainbows to
celebrate the movement’s centenary. Scouts, schoolchildren, police cadets,
traders and residents are all doing their bit to make this year a memorable
occasion and the town is already looking good.
There are also a variety of containers containing flowers around the town centre,
on the pavements and with hanging baskets outside the Angel Hotel and the Nag’s
Head but none unfortunately outside the historic Burghley Arms which would
enhance the spot immensely. This building on the south side of North Street is
centrepiece of the most attractive façade in Bourne, flanked by Lloyds TSB and
the Town Hall and providing an attractive view for visitors entering the town
centre from the south on the main A15 and so it is vital that this area looks
its best.
This public house used to have hanging baskets in past years and the brackets
where they hung are still intact so perhaps the owners might have second
thoughts for as with all tenants, their co-operation is vital if the town is to
be successful this year. There is still time to remedy the omission and support
this worthwhile community project because the judges are not due to arrive until
Tuesday 13th July and their participation could help Bourne capture a coveted
gold award for the first time.
Thought for the week: A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives
flowers. - old Chinese proverb.
Saturday 10th July 2010
A saddlery at No 3 South Street - see "The variety of shops .
. . "
There appears to be a determined effort to swamp Bourne
with food outlets such as takeaways, cafes and restaurants with new ones opening
almost monthly and even the official mind appears to be geared in this
direction. We already have some 40 of them serving a population of around
15,000, which is one for every 375 people, although many have a precarious
existence and are struggling to make a living.
Yet the scaled down redevelopment of the town centre, now reduced by South
Kesteven District Council from an ambitious £27 million project embracing that
triangle of land between North Street, West Street and Burghley Street, to a £4
million facelift for the run down area along Wherry’s Lane, will include
more restaurants which the authority thinks is a good thing. Added to that, the
Stamford Mercury now reports that one of the empty units in the excellent
private £500,000 refurbishment scheme around the Jubilee in North Street is
likely to be let to yet another takeaway (July 2nd).
Who eats all of this fast food is a mystery because the quality is often
doubtful and the value questionable yet the town continues to attract new
outlets although how long they will last is another matter. There was a time
when eating establishments in Bourne were few and far between and one of the
only places you could get a proper meal in Bourne was the Angel Hotel and
perhaps the Dinky Café which was a popular spot for tea in the 1930s. But
changing times have brought with them dozens of such places to suit all tastes
and pockets while the trend to eat out has turned dinner or supper into a
regular rather than a special occasion for the young and even senior citizens
who once regarded this as a once in a lifetime treat can now be found filling
the tables for cut price meals at lunchtime.
Takeways too have found their niche with working wives and singletons while
outlets serving sandwiches, currys, kebabs and pizzas have joined the
traditional fish and chip shops in the race to feed the thousands who no longer
want to cook at home, their presence often indicated by the plastic cartons and
paper wrappers strewn along the pavements next morning, despite the availability
of strategically placed litter bins thus proving that fast food means littered
streets.
In fact, there was a time when going out for a meal was a luxury but as the
tempo of life has speeded up, when everyone now seems to be in such a hurry, it
has become a necessity and even the public houses whose main sales were once
mild and bitter have been forced to cater to survive. The result is that food
outlets are fast replacing the shops that were once the mainstay of the town’s
commercial life whilst another warning factor is that a second unit in the North
Street development is to be occupied by an estate agent when we already have
seven operating in the town and several others who claim to cover the area from
elsewhere, thus suggesting that all we do in Bourne is eat and exchange houses.
The changing face of Bourne can best be seen by studying the actual
buildings in the town centre area, along North Street, South Street and West
Street, most of which began as houses for the middle classes or cottages for
artisans but converted to shops selling various goods to keep pace with demand.
That which was on offer changed dramatically with the years and as more retail
premises switch to business offices, so the small dealers are pushed out and
shoppers depend more for their goods on the supermarkets, the Internet and mail
order.
This has not been lost on the Bourne Business Chamber because their chairman,
Kevin Hicks, told the newspaper that although they welcomed the two new tenants
in the North Street development, they would have preferred to see shops opening
on the site. “Retailing draws people to our town centres”, he said, “but we can
understand that in the current economic downturn, this is better than leaving
them empty.”
Unfortunately, the trend indicates that this dramatic change is here to stay
which is why the new Tesco supermarket on South Road will be a welcome addition
to our outlets because one-stop shopping has become the most efficient and
time-saving method of buying our weekly needs. The store is likely to be up and
running by early next year when it will be open round the clock and with
Sainsburys in Exeter Street already having a firm hold on our habits and
currently hoping to expand we may expect more shops in the town centre area to
find it difficult to continue and become offices and business premises or even
return to their original use as residential properties. This is what they call
progress but whether or not it is the best way forward really depends on your
point of view and of course your own shopping habits.
The variety of shops trading in Bourne in past times has changed out of
all recognition for nowhere today would you find so many run by tradesmen such
as the coal merchants, coopers, drapers, glaziers, gloves and breeches
stockists, haberdashers, milliners, plumbers, rope and twine suppliers, tea
dealers, wheelwrights and watchmakers, an assortment that has all but
disappeared yet during the 19th century the supply matched the demand. Where,
for instance, would you find a straw hat maker today and yet there were five in
1841 when the population was a mere 3,361, a reflection of the Victorian trend
in ladies fashion and in gentlemen’s summer headgear when boaters were just
becoming popular.
This type of hat was normally associated with boating and sailing and was also
known as a basher, skimmer, cady, katie, somer or sennit hat and had a stiff
flat crown and brim decorated with a gaily coloured ribbon and always worn by
young gentlemen walking out in their Sunday best. But they are rarely seen today
except in theatrical performances and appearances by barbershop quartets
although some public schools such as Harrow still use them as part of the boys’
uniform.
The straw boater is believed to have been developed in the United States by
Italian immigrants and was so called because it was similar to those worn by the
gondoliers plying their trade on the canals of Venice and by the 20th century
was being popularised by yachting enthusiasts and Hollywood film stars. Examples
from Bourne can still be seen in the old photographs that survive but the shops
that made and sold them have long since disappeared.
One of the puzzling features of the town cemetery for many people is the
vacant land between some of the tombstones in the older section of the burial
ground and a few days ago I found two visitors checking on their ancestors
trying to determine why this was. Most of the area is covered with decaying
stone memorials but many of the rows are punctuated by grassy spaces and they
asked whether they were empty plots.
This is not so. The cemetery was opened in 1855 and the Victorians were noted
for their methodical approach to matters and so it is unlikely that a single
inch of ground would be wasted, each interment close upon the next and all laid
out in measured rows which are now numbered to aid identification. Society at
that time was governed by wealth and therefore position, the haves and have nots,
and the divide between the two was immense and particularly noticeable at times
of bereavement when those who could afford a memorial had an engraved tombstone
and those whose relatives could not pay for one, or who did not command the
appeal of a public subscription, did not and so were buried in unmarked graves.
We have no knowledge of the exact number who were originally buried with such
anonymity because some of the spaces have been used twice and now have a
memorial from the second burial. This circumstance has arisen because under
recent regulations, burials in plots that were not purchased at the time of
death and have no tombstone may be reused after 100 years and as the cemetery is
well past its centenary we may see many recurrences of this practice in the
future.
The location of graves is a constant subject of inquiries to the Bourne web site
from people compiling their family trees, a large proportion of them from
abroad, notably the former colonies to where their ancestors emigrated to seek
their fortunes in past centuries, and most people researching their ancestry are
anxious to find some distinguished connection with the people and place of their
origins. This is unlikely when there is an unmarked grave for although some are
occupied by working class people who just could not afford a tombstone, it is
also an indication of a pauper’s funeral and a parish burial which may be
established through further research.
There are many of these graves in the cemetery because Bourne had its own
workhouse, firstly in North Street and then in Union Street [now St Peter’s
Road], which was well used for over 150 years by the poor from 37 parishes and
townships as well as providing overnight accommodation for tramps passing
through and deaths were frequent, particularly during the 19th century when
conditions were grim and uncongenial which also increased the suicide rate. The
numbers living there during the quarter ending 24th September 1837, for
instance, was 1,060 paupers, thus giving an indication of how many people were
actually accommodated during the existence of the institution.
Earlier this year, members of the Christian family from Pennsylvania, USA,
emailed seeking information about their ancestors who I traced to the cemetery.
They were Robert and Ann Christian who both died in impoverished circumstances,
Ann at her home in North Back Lane, Bourne, in November 1877, aged 65 years
while Robert continued living on his own until poverty forced him into the
workhouse where he died in February 1881, aged 82. Both were buried by the
parish in the cemetery where they lie today, many yards apart in separate
unmarked graves, as was the practice of the time, identified only by the row
numbers and small patches of grass between the gravestones.
A few weeks later, another email arrived from North America seeking assistance,
this time from Catherine Hauck who was writing from Stittsville, Ontario,
Canada, seeking information about William Blanchard, a miller, who was born in
1797 and died aged 74 when he was buried in the cemetery on 30th March 1871 and
further investigation revealed that he had also died in the workhouse and had
been buried at the expense of the parish in an unmarked grave. This was a
particularly poignant revelation because William had not only served with the
Lincolnshire Militia as a young man but had also worked for a spell as a
workhouse master.
Fortunately, Bourne Town Council keeps the burial records for the cemetery and
provided an exact location for William Blanchard’s last resting place but the
other information they provided was not encouraging for the family for although
the exact burial spot was identified, the grave had been re-used and now has a
headstone for the latest occupant, namely Joseph Reginald Soar who was laid to
rest on 31st March 1996, aged 72.
These are just two case histories from many enquiries we have dealt with over
the years, often with the excellent co-operation of Mrs Nelly Jacobs, clerk to
the town council which holds the master records for over 10,000 burials in the
cemetery. Similar inquiries come in most weeks and often the research is time
consuming but with over 400 names on our family history data base, all with
ancestors who had connections with Bourne, the task is by no means complete
although hopefully not all of these trails of investigation will lead to
unmarked graves in the cemetery and the sad story of a lonely and tragic death
in the workhouse.
Thought for the week: All places are alike, and every earth is fit for
burial. - Christopher Marlowe (1564-93), English dramatist, poet and
playwright of the Elizabethan era noted for his establishment of dramatic blank
verse.
Saturday 17th July 2010
Wherry's Lane in 1998 - see "Another major . . . "
A new primary school is planned for Bourne and could open within three
years, according to the local newspapers, yet this statement has a distinct
feeling of déjàs vu and will be treated by many with some scepticism.
The chosen site is the 300-acre Elsea Park, the controversial housing estate to
the south of the town which was launched in March 1999, the biggest single
residential development in the history of Bourne and one which went ahead
despite widespread, almost total, public opposition, mainly because of the speed
with which it was pushed through and the perceived lack of consultation. The
main objections were that the population explosion created by 2,000 new homes
would bring an estimated 6,000 newcomers to the town, putting more pressure on
existing services such as libraries, public transport, leisure amenities,
medical and other facilities, particularly schools, and so it has proved.
South Kesteven District Council which approved the plans, tried to allay public
fears by publishing the details of the S106 agreement with the developers, the
legal contract that formalises what will be provided, also known as the planning
gain, although it is up to the local authority to ensure that what has been
promised actually materialises. Seven hundred of the new homes have now been
completed but not all of the facilities have been provided with the school one
of the first priorities and to recap on what was offered by the developers in
return for planning permission, the total list included:
-
A primary school for local children;
-
A multi-purpose community hall;
-
Sites available for a doctor's surgery
and crèche;
Cycle, pedestrian and vehicle links and a shuttle bus route through the
development;
-
Sports pitches, toddler play facilities
and nature conservation areas;
-
Links to Bourne town centre and existing
public footpaths to the surrounding countryside;
-
Retention of the majority of existing
site features e g hedgerows, ponds, etc;
-
The south west relief road to reduce
traffic congestion within Bourne town centre;
-
Measures to safeguard and enhance the
ecology including the protection of Math and Elsea Woods, a Site of Special
Scientific Interest.
The relief road is up and running but only after some difficulties. Allison
Homes, the Spalding-based developers (now taken over by the Keir Group), built
the 1½-mile stretch of carriageway at a cost of £4 million to relieve traffic
congestion in the town centre. The road was scheduled to open during the summer
of 2005 and although it was finished at the end of May, eventually funded with
the help of a £700,000 loan from SKDC, the developers sealed it off with
concrete blocks at both ends to prevent traffic from using it while they argued
about the next stage of the planning gain, the provision of the new school.
There were accusations that the town was being held to ransom until the
developers got what they wanted and when agreement was reached, the road finally
opened on Saturday 8th October although no details of the settlement with
Lincolnshire County Council were released to the public.
In 2006, a front page report in the Stamford Mercury said that the new
school project which had been due for completion by September 2007 was to be
scrapped (April 7th), blaming falling pupil rolls and the prospect that a new
school would create problems of surplus places at our two existing primary
schools, the Abbey and Westfield. Now it is back on again and the Stamford
Mercury reports the county council as saying that a projected influx of families
to the town means that the school will be needed in the near future and could
open as early as September 2013 (July 9th).
This is of little satisfaction to those couples who bought homes on the promise
that the school would be up and running by now, among them Richard and Stephanie
Barrett who moved into Cornflower Way four years ago for this very reason. They
now have two sons, Joshua, aged 6, and Oliver, aged 3. When informed about the
new projected date, Mr Barrett told the newspaper: “It is about time. When I was
sold my house my son was two and I was told that by the time he was ready to
start school there would be a primary school on the estate. He’s seven this
year.”
The provision of the new community centre is another concern among home owners
on the estate, a much needed social amenity included with the original package
but one that has still not materialised. The current economic climate has been
blamed for the delay even though it was expected before the recession began, but
planning permission has now been granted with conditions. The centre itself
would appear to fulfil the needs of any large estate with a meeting hall, office
area, bar and cooking facilities, storage and entrance lobby, but it will not
look quite the stand alone village hall we would expect because it will be on
the ground floor of a larger three-storey complex which will also include four
shops and 42 sheltered apartments for the over-55s with warden facilities, a
communal lounge, garden and limited parking facilities.
The developers have promised that work will begin this summer and be ready for
handover within six months (The Local, June 18th) and although this is a
little late in the day, the facility will be welcomed by residents of Elsea Park
who are now anxiously waiting to find out if this promise will be kept and
whether the completion of the shops and apartments will take precedence over
their social need.
Another major on-off project is currently being pursued by South Kesteven
District Council with one of its dreaded public consultation exercises although
interest appears to be lukewarm, perhaps because few people knew about it
through lack of advertising. Those who follow these events will know that the
original £27 million redevelopment of Bourne town centre, first proposed in
August 2001, was shelved a few weeks ago in favour of a reduced package,
apparently cobbled together by way of compensation but that turns out to be
little more than the refurbishment of the run down area around Wherry’s Lane
which should have been given some attention years before the town centre scheme
was even thought of because photographs taken 12 years ago show the disgraceful
state it was in then.
The test of public opinion was a presentation on a stall at the weekly market on
Thursday of last week which moved to the Darby and Joan Hall in the evening, two
venues hardly likely to inspire confidence in a scheme on which the council
plans to spend more than £4 million, but hey-ho, it’s not their money but ours
because it is we who pay the council tax.
If the authority intends to proceed or even use this input as a valid judgment
on the project then we should be told how many turned up for the consultation
although we may expect a distinct reluctance to divulge such statistics which
has not been the practice of the authority in the past. There are many such
examples recorded in detail by this column when optimistic and euphemistic
phrases have been used to hide the fact that only a handful of people
participated, a reflection of the national trend in the public apathy that
plagues government at all levels and so we cannot really complain when decisions
are taken against our wishes.
It is therefore certain that if this latest scheme goes ahead then it will do so
along those lines that have already been decided, no matter what comments have
been made by the public at any of these consultations which are regarded by many
as mere window dressing to fulfil the requirements of current regulations
governing major developments of this kind while comments published elsewhere,
such as in letters to the local newspapers or contributions to the Bourne Forum,
also seem to be ignored.
Although no attendance figures at the two consultation sessions have been
divulged, the council is confident that they were worthwhile and according to
The Local, officers and councillors spoke “to many people and that it was
interesting to hear what they said” (July 9th). But it was Ivan Fuller, the town
centre manager, who seemed to echo the frustration abroad in the town that after
almost a decade of planning and discussion and the expenditure of many
thousands, perhaps millions, of pounds we are still no nearer any changes to any
part of the town centre area because he told the newspaper: “The main issue is
that people want us to get on with something as they don’t feel that a lot has
happened yet.”
A drive through the English countryside at this time of the year gives us
a glimpse of what is happening in the villages and hamlets of this green and
pleasant land because every few miles we see a roadside sign or poster
advertising the multifarious activities in pursuit of pleasure. These are known
as the lazy days of summer but there is much going on in and around our little
town and these makeshift signs announce fetes, feasts and festivals, gala days
and fun evenings, because this is the season of village revels that have their
origins in the mists of time.
People do remarkable things under the guise of merrymaking. They roll cheeses,
kick bottles, run around in sacks, pelt Aunt Sallies and do various things with
eggs and there is always the beer tent to ensure that they generally make fools
of themselves. But there is a serious sociological background to the public
gatherings of high summer.
Our ancestors had only the hedges around the fields as their horizons and in
those fields they ploughed and hoed and harvested and with no artificial
illumination in their homes other than expensive candles and rush lights, they
went to bed at sunset and rose at dawn which coincided with their working day.
The pattern of village life has always been closely linked to the perennial
rounds of ploughing and sowing, new crops, first fruits and harvest, and these
weeks of hard work were punctuated by periods of relaxation, during which the
traditional festivals, fairs and holidays were held. High summer gave them
longer days and therefore additional hours to enjoy themselves just before the
back breaking work of the harvest and so the tradition of the village feast
during these months grew up when for a few hours they could forget their endless
toil and socialise with their neighbours.
Most of these ancient customs survive today as a means of fund-raising for
various charities and good causes and they continue despite our notoriously
inclement weather and the assurance that the event will go on "in barn if wet"
has become an ominous reminder that storm clouds may gather on the day although
enjoyment is never dampened by the rain.
Meanwhile, more recent customs invade our senses and as the cornfields turn a
golden yellow, we hear the smack of leather on willow from the Abbey Lawn where
cricket is a regular weekend occurrence and the smell of barbecued food drifts
down the street to remind us that the outdoor life is the preferred one while
the sun shines. It has always puzzled me why millions of us head for foreign
climes at great expense during July and August when these are the very months
that we can usually enjoy good weather here at home in our own back gardens
without the hassle of crowded airports, uncomfortable accommodation and poor
food at overrated tourist destinations.
Travel is the perception of being somewhere else and it is a seductive illusion
that we pursue, rather like a mirage in the desert, but as those of us who have
abandoned such peregrinations years ago have discovered, the grass is seldom
greener in those faraway places than it is here at home.
Thought for the week: A man travels the world in search of what he needs
and returns home to find it. - George Edward Moore (1873-1958), distinguished
and influential English philosopher and one of the founders of the analytic
tradition in philosophy.
Saturday 24th July 2010
Alice and David Gray's cottage - see "My article last week . .
. "
The two head teachers
of our local primary schools are
opposing the building of a new school at Elsea Park which is to go ahead as part
of the planning gain agreed nine years ago. They are alarmed about the effect it
will have on their own establishments and have condemned the project claiming
that it will affect their funding and performance in the long term.
Cheryl Edwards (Abbey CE) and Tim Bright (Westfield) are so concerned about the
situation that they have decided to go public with their objections and their
joint statement has been published by the Stamford Mercury claiming that
the opening of a third primary school could result in pupils being siphoned off
from their own schools thus leading to a reduction in the funding available and
this would affect the high quality of education currently being provided (July
16th). The statement goes on: “The result could mean redundancies for existing
staff at perhaps both schools when trying to split the extra number of pupils
between three schools rather than two.”
This is a surprising and some will consider a misguided, even Luddite, approach
to a proposed new amenity for Bourne because it fails to acknowledge the
benefits to the town of another primary school designed to serve the Elsea Park
area and the fact that it will be financed entirely by private money provided by
the developers. The other flaw in their objection is that it concentrates solely
on the effects it may or may not have on their own two schools and totally
ignores the wider educational need. It also illustrates a
growing unease about our public institutions today in that many have lost their
sense of place within the community where all should be valued for the part they
play rather than breaking off into individual fiefdoms.
These organisations do not exist solely for the people within them, those who
are employed to keep them up and running, a malaise that is
already evident in many spheres, notably local government, the police and the
National Health Service, where individual bodies operate first as a business and
then as a public service to the detriment of the people who need them. In short,
the role we so much admired which was played by doctors, policemen and our
councils, has been diluted by a preoccupation with targets, balance sheets and
salaries and perhaps now is the time to return to a more rational approach to
medical treatment, law enforcement, public services and indeed, education.
Unfortunately, in the England of today, the prospect of consulting your GP in
the evenings and weekends, seeing bobbies back on the beat, having your rubbish
bins emptied once a week and every pot hole in our roads repaired has become a
Utopian dream. But not all is lost because parents at Elsea Park now have the
chance of having a school for their children within a convenient distance rather than
expecting them to walk, cycle or be driven a mile into town, an amenity which
was promised when they bought their houses and to refuse them this merely
because existing schools wish to maintain their own budget levels is a denial of
their basic even contractual rights because this is what they were promised when
they bought their properties.
Furthermore, a glance at the town map is evidence that a third school is
necessary given the distance to be travelled to the two existing primary schools
by children living on the new estates which are expanding to the south of the
town. Yet the statement from the two head teachers concentrates solely on the
possible effects a new school may have on their own establishments and totally
ignores the plight of pupils who live there.
This is the basic flaw in their argument for it reveals a preoccupation with
their own situations without considering the wider implications for the rest of
Bourne. It should also be remembered that the number of pupils on a school roll
is one of the factors which determines the salary of a head teacher and we
wonder if this statement was approved by the governors at each of the schools
involved, governors who include councillors whose duty it is to oversee what is
best for the entire town and not just a single school. Also, the spectre of
redundancies raised by the two head teachers may be regarded as a red herring
because you do not need a degree in logistics to know that the job losses among
teachers and staff which they predict at the two existing schools will be more
than offset by vacancies which will be created at the third.
Head teachers have every right, even a duty, to protect their schools but they
do not live in isolation and to discourage the establishment of others to
protect their own is to disadvantage those who would benefit from the new
development, in this case the incoming families of the Elsea Park estate which
it is forecast will eventually double the size of Bourne’s population.
Furthermore, the new school was an integral part of the planning package
announced nine years ago yet not a word of objection has been raised until now.
Fortunately, Lincolnshire County Council which is responsible for education in
Bourne, appears to be unsympathetic to this intervention because Patricia
Bradwell, executive councillor for children’s services, told the newspaper: “The
residents of Elsea Park were promised a new school for their children and many
purchased new houses with this in mind and all are looking forward to it being
built. The developer wishes to see that the new school is built and it makes
sense to plan for a start on site to enable it open in September 2013. The
projections for the area show us that a school will be needed as the housing
market recovers and more pupils arrive. We will keep both schools up to date
with our proposals and will continue to consult with them when full proposals
are brought forward.”
Councillor Bradwell’s statement would appear to be a clear and unequivocal
assessment of the situation and that should be the end of the matter.
My article about lost cottages last week has brought back memories for
Bourne’s senior citizens who remember these long vanished properties with some
affection. Kenneth Pick, aged 79, was particularly interested in the photograph
of Mrs Alice Gray’s old home on the double bend in South Street, a scene which
showed a young lad cycling by with a dog chasing after him and he immediately
recognised both. “That’s our Ian”, he told his wife Cynthia as he read the
article in The Local newspaper soon after it went on sale on Friday. “And
the dog behind is his pet Manchester terrier, Lulu.”
Mr and Mrs Pick, of Harvey Close, Bourne, had not seen the photograph since it
appeared in the Stamford Mercury over thirty years ago but they
remembered quite clearly that the young cyclist was their son, then aged nine years old, probably
rushing home for his tea. Ken, a
retired printing worker, was born and bred in the town, but Ian has now left and
lives and works in Cambridge but dad is sending him a copy of the photograph as
a reminder of his vanished youth when he always seemed to be in a hurry.
Another reminiscence comes from Mrs Dorothy Hodgkin who remembers the same
cottage when it was home to her uncle and aunt, Snowdon and Cassie Gray, and
always known as the old farmhouse. As a child in the late 1920s, she would visit
them on Sunday afternoons after attending Sunday School held in the Abbey Church
and special treats were always on offer. “Aunty Cassie’s speciality was cinder
toffee”, she said, “always specially made for us and those visits are among my
happiest times of my childhood years.”
Dorothy was born at Northorpe Lodge near Thurlby in 1921 and later lived at the
Wellhead Cottage and then in George Street but now, aged 89 and a widow, she is
a resident at the sheltered housing complex in Meadow Close. “I always remember
Bourne with great affection and the fondest of memories”, she said, “but it is
such an awful shame to see these lovely old homes disappearing and it is a great
pity that we cannot find some way of saving them.”
A delightful anecdote about Alice and David Gray comes from John Squires, a
former Bourne resident now aged 71 and who lives at Gonerby Hill Foot, Grantham,
but as a boy, he spent a lot of his spare time helping out on their farm. "My
mother was a friend of Alice and also got her milk and butter from her", he
wrote. "Mother would send me over with a jug to collect the milk which Alice
(Mrs Gray as it was in my day because you never called your elders by their
first names) would ladle from a large shallow bowl on the dairy floor covered
with muslin to keep off the flies. While there, she would have me turn the
handle on the butter churn. I would also have great trouble carrying the jug
over the road to our home at No 36 South Street which was part of Cavalry House,
without spilling any.
"One of our jobs was to help take the cows to and from the field on Stamford
Hill, a job usually done with the help of a man who lived in the barn at the
farm called Chappy Rowland who would ride his bike rather than walk because he
had a bad leg or foot. The first job for me was to stand in the road and stop
the traffic as the cows came out of the yard on the corner of South Street.
There was not a lot of traffic in those days but there was no way of seeing if
anything was coming without standing over the other side of the road."
A drive through the streets on the morning of silver bin collection day
and the inadequacy of the system is there for all to see with most receptacles
filled to overflowing and the excess piled nearby, boxes full of newspapers and
bottles and cardboard packaging in various sizes. In fact the outcome of the
wheelie bin system introduced in the autumn of 2006 has now revealed that almost
80% of household refuse is recyclable while the rest goes in the black bin for
landfill disposal. I base these figures on our own experience, that is a
household of two elderly people, together with a check on my neighbours of
varying family status and all would appear to tally with these estimates.
Despite the original scepticism about wheelie bins, South Kesteven District
Council should be satisfied that the system has been accepted by the public but
this does not mean that it cannot be improved. Now that it has been running for
almost four years, there ought to be an appraisal of its efficiency and perhaps
adjust the collections to a more suitable frequency which would alleviate the
inadequacy of silver bin space and prevent the unsightly spread of rubbish along
the pavements every other Friday morning.
A great deal of folklore still abounds about the wheelie system, notably that
all rubbish whether from the black or silver bins, is dumped in landfill sites,
and perhaps an update by the council would help dispel these persistent myths
about their recycling initiative with a statement about the amounts and type of
waste collected, the method of disposal and the use to which this material is
eventually put. Once the public is told that they are making a real difference
to something as important as this, the effort will increase. To provide vital
information on a sensitive subject such as this is one of the basic principles
of public relations but to allow piles of rubbish on the pavement each silver
bin collection day without an explanation about its destination can only lead to
apathy and even derision.
Thought for the week: Make good use of bad rubbish. - Elisabeth
Beresford MBE (1928- ), author of children's books and best known for creating
the Wombles, underground furry creatures with a passion for collecting and
recycling waste who used this as their motto.
Saturday 31st July 2010
The Ostler memorial fountain - see "The
withdrawal of . . . "
Snake oil salesmen were a feature of the wild west,
travelling confidence tricksters trading in bogus medicines easily foisted on to
a gullible and largely uneducated public and indeed their methods and often
similar products were well known in the England of past times.
A patent medicine is one designed to be sold to the public directly without
prescription. The term is generally applied to those remedies that first
appeared in England during the 17th century, medical compounds of questionable
effectiveness that found a ready clientele at a time when everyone was seeking a
cure-all remedy for a variety of illnesses which are easily treated today with a
few pills from Boots the Chemist.
The conception was that the formula of the medication was owned by the patent
holder and although it did not need to be either successful or safe, it had to
be original and no one else could produce it. They sold well because
uncomfortable and often extremely painful conditions usually associated with
overeating and other unhealthy habits, such as indigestion and gout, were so
widespread that the victims sought every available treatment and were seduced by
the colourful claims made for pills, potions and bottles of jollop marketed
under the name of miracle tonics.
Most contained a basic and beneficial ingredient known to doctors and
pharmacists at the time, sometimes an easily available drug such as pennyroyal,
opium and often alcohol, and one memorable group of patent medicines was based
on liniments that allegedly contained snake oil which was supposedly a panacea,
so creating the description snake oil salesman which has become a lasting
synonym for the charlatan.
In the early years of the 20th century, governments began to regulate the
production and sale of medicines to protect customers from buying quack cures
and the marketing of nostrums under implausible claims is now illegal. During
the period of change, however, there were many blurred boundaries. Most local
chemists sold their own mixtures, proprietary brands whose formula was usually
passed on from father to son who succeeded in the business and were highly
regarded in many communities with a proven track record for their beneficial
effects, among them Judge’s golden tonic which appears to have been greatly
prized by the people of Bourne.
Judge’s was the shop at No 19 North Street which traded as a chemist and
pharmacist for well over a century, first under John Bellairs Roberts
(1822-1902) and later under the ownership of Edgar Harvey Judge (1862-1951)
whose family took over in 1890 and the business subsequently became known as
Judge and Son. This property has a particular place in our history because
within memory it had a Victorian shop front and an ancient interior lined with
an assortment of pharmaceutical bottles and phials which remained unchanged
until the building was pulled down in 1988 to make way for the Burghley Centre
development, despite being Grade II listed.
It was from here that bottles of the renowned golden tonic were dispensed and I
am indebted to John Freear, who lives in Stamford, for a reminiscence about the
benefits enjoyed by those who bought it for many years, a medicinal compound
which, like that invented by Lily the Pink, was most efficacious in every case.
It was, he writes, a really wonderful pick-me-up but now gone forever like so
many good things. He added:
Most old family chemists sold these tonics
made to their own recipes and my wife, an old Brunnian, remembers that most
people had a bottle in their pantry or medicine cabinet. Her family always had
it available and it was used among other things to treat depression before there
was much in the way of understanding of the problem. Came the day when I in my
turn needed something of this kind, I extremely reluctantly tried a bottle. The
taste was bitter but not harsh and low and behold, much to my amazement, it
worked so we hurried to Bourne (we live in Stamford) and stockpiled three
bottles for future use. We recommended it to friends and they too tried it with
the same success. They lived in Norway and on one occasion phoned us asking
whether it was still available by which time Judge's had stopped trading. I do
wonder if the bitterness came from quinine. In the early days chemists had a lot
more freedom of choice for these things than they do now.
There is an increasing public irritation with counter
staff in the post office and cashiers in banks trying to sell something when
customers go in for even the smallest transaction. Their original role of
dispensing stamps and cashing cheques now appears to have been extended to high
pressure sales techniques for foreign currency exchange, traveller’s cheques,
insurance and investment which has become such a nuisance that some people now
avoid going in unless absolutely vital.
Unfortunately, these institutions have become a necessary part of life today and
to avoid them because of these desperate selling techniques which can often
border on harassment is counter productive for them and inconvenient for us.
Once the spiel begins it is difficult to avoid without being rude yet what can
one do when all you asked for was a first class stamp or to pay in a cheque.
On a recent visit to my bank in Bourne to pay in a large cheque for money which
was being transferred elsewhere, we were hauled out of the queue and into the
office by a senior executive who was obviously anxious that the money should
stay with the bank rather than merely passing through. When I asked why we were
being questioned about a perfectly legitimate transaction he spun some tale
about security and then said that the money should be in a savings account,
obviously one of theirs, but when I insisted that I did not want any unsolicited
advice about my affairs, he paid the money in, gave me a receipt and we left
thinking that the bank must be in a poor state if staff are ordered to resort to
such hard sell methods.
If I had wanted to invest in the bank I would have asked for an appointment.
Customers do not expect to be quizzed about their business while waiting in the
queue to be served and if they are about to hand over a large sum to be singled
out for special treatment. This is at the heart of most complaints about the
services we get today because we appear to be subjected to a barrage of sales
offers without inviting them whereas the rule should be that we opt in rather
than opt out of any offer, transaction or proposed agreement.
Door to door salesmen are a particular annoyance and will not take no for an
answer or even heed the clear warning posted outside courtesy Neighbourhood
Watch that we do not buy on the doorstep, vainly insisting that they are not
actually selling anything and are “registered” although when questioned on this
they are usually unable to say with whom. We do not ask for junk mail yet it
arrives almost daily. Advertising magazines are delivered regularly along with
many sales catalogues which are always accompanied by an impertinent notice
asking us to leave them outside with our order on some specified day. The onus
is therefore passed to us. Unless you subscribe to the telephone preference
service you are likely to be plagued at all hours by unwanted calls from around
the world either trying to sell something or offering you an exotic holiday or
cruise for
free, which of course it is not as anyone foolish enough to follow it up will
find out to their cost.
Every organisation assumes they have the right to contact you by whatever means
in order to sell something, turning them into little more than hustlers and as
the competition becomes more fierce so the techniques become more devious and
more questionable and in some cases even criminal. Even those which provide
essential services such as gas, electricity and water, are constantly bombarding
us with fliers for this product and that, with promises to improve what is
already on offer, just sign this or agree to that and, of course, complete the
standing order or direct debit. The trickle of sales opportunities which began
ten yeas ago turned first into a cascade and now into a Niagara which is in
danger of swamping the very credibility of those who issue them.
The burgeoning influence of the Internet has created a stamping ground for even
more intrusion into our personal choice and once you have purchased something
online or even visited a web site looking for an article then your email address
and preferences are immediately logged to ensure that your inbox is regularly
bombarded in the future with offers of similar articles.
Unsolicited selling by any means, by letter, telephone, email, by unwanted house
calls or over the counter should be outlawed forthwith and if someone wants to
buy, whether a service or a commodity, then they will contact the provider or
seller and once that transaction is complete the right to communicate with them
again with other offers is no longer an option. The new coalition government is
making great play about rescinding many of the laws which have subjugated and
even cowed the population during thirteen years of Labour rule and of giving
power back to the people and this is just one sample of much needed legislation
that would earn the Cameron-Clegg team the gratitude of the nation.
The withdrawal of public facilities through vandalism is not a new
phenomenon and most people will remember that we lost the use of the public
lavatories in South Street when they were shut for a spell in 2002 because of
continuing damage while the Abbey Lawn is now fenced off and closed at night for
similar reasons. There are other cases that have occurred to the detriment of
the wider community but without increased police vigilance and indeed punishment
for the offenders when they are caught, the situation is one that we will have
to live with.
A similar incident occurred in the town during the 19th century involving the
Ostler fountain, a magnificent example of Victorian Gothic architecture erected
in the market square by public subscription to the memory of John Lely Ostler
(1811-59), a local landowner and philanthropist, and unveiled at a public
ceremony in October 1860. The working of the fountain however, was sporadic and
often the target of miscreants, and by 1888, it had ceased to function
altogether after being vandalised or, as described by a local newspaper on
August 17th, “because that the water basins had been rendered completely useless
by downright wanton mischief”. The report went on:
The police authorities who were frequently
appealed to, treated the affair with indifference and took no steps whatever to
protect the property. The fleur-de-lis which ornamented the angles of the
drinking fountain were mutilated. The pipes were filled with stones and dirt so
that the water ran over into the market square and became a nuisance. Naturally,
under such circumstances, the water company discontinued the supply. These
occurrences are to be regretted. As the structure still stands, we would repeat
our suggestion that the police authorities should be more energetic in
preventing wanton destruction of public property.
Despite the controversy, the monument remained in the market
place, now the town centre, sometimes working sometimes not, until 1960 when its
interference with the increasing flow of vehicles necessitated its removal. It
was then taken to a place of safety in the town cemetery where it has since been
preserved with a Grade II listing while the name of the man who inspired it has
been perpetuated in Ostler Drive, one of the town's residential streets.
Thought for the week: History is indeed little more than the register of
the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind. - Edward Gibbon (1737-94),
Member of Parliament and historian whose most important work was the classic
six-volume Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Return to Monthly entries
|
