V I P visits

Lady Barnett visits Bourne - see May 1969

The Queen has never visited Bourne and nor has any previous monarch or prime minister. It has been suggested in the past that Edward III who reigned from 1327 to 1377 may have visited the town but this does not bear close scrutiny and is therefore most unlikely to have occurred.

But several members of the Royal Family have been here in recent years and a number of senior politicians and people enjoying national celebrity status.

May 1969: The speaker chosen to deliver the Harrington Lecture, an annual event organised by Bourne United Charities, was the television celebrity Lady Barnett, famous at that time for her appearances in the extremely popular panel game What's my line?. The Corn Exchange was packed to hear her reminiscences about meeting the famous including stage and film stars such as Gracie Fields and Dame Flora Robson, the conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent and her fellow panellist Gilbert Harding. Pictured with her (above) are Mr J E Goode, clerk to BUC, and his wife, and Councillor Ted Kelby, who was chairman for the evening, with his wife. At that time, Lady Isobel Barnett, elegant and witty, was one of the nation's favourite people, feted wherever she went, but sadly she committed suicide on 20th October 1980, four days after being convicted and fined for shoplifting.

June 1980: The Secretary of State for Industry, Sir Keith Joseph, visited Bourne on Friday 20th June 1980 on the invitation of local Conservatives and spoke to an audience of around 150 members and friends at the Darby and Joan Club. He is pictured here with the constituency association chairman, Squadron Leader Stan Pratt (centre), and Councillor Don Fisher, chairman of Bourne Conservatives.

March 1989: The Secretary of State for Education, Kenneth Baker, officially opened a new craft, design technology and science block at the Robert Manning School. He was accompanied by the local M P Quentin Davies, the member for Stamford and Spalding, and during the visit he met a group of GCSE art students and was presented with mementoes by the head boy Jamie Longmuir, aged 16, and the head girl, Claire Richards, aged 15, including a picture of the Red Hall and a leather bound copy of Lorenzo Warner’s biography that had recently been published. The minister (fourth from the left) was entertained afterwards at the Conservative Party headquarters in North Street where he is pictured above with Quentin Davies, councillors and local party officials.

November 1989: The Duke of Gloucester visited Warners (Midlands) p l c printing plant in West Street to officially open their new £4 million extensions at the Old Maltings. He was accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Captain Henry Nevile, and after being presented with a union membership card for the National Graphical Association, he set the new presses rolling to mark the occasion.

December 1990: Guest of honour at the Bourne Tory Tea Club was Baroness Trumpington, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, who talked to members about how the House of Lords works. This was one of the special lunches held every two years, the venue on this occasion being the Darby and Joan Club in South Street. Previous guests have included Mrs Airey Neve, Emma Nicholson MP and Dr Mary Archer.

April 1991: The Secretary of State for Education, Kenneth Clarke, visited Bourne Abbey Primary School that had just become the first primary school in Britain to opt out of local education authority control and become grant maintained.

January 1992: The Secretary of State for Education, Kenneth Clarke, arrived to open a £1.8 million extension to Bourne Grammar School which replaced the wooden buildings that had been in use for more than 70 years. He toured the new classrooms, spoke to pupils, gave a speech and unveiled a commemorative plaque and was given a book and an engraved paperweight to mark his visit.

January 2007: Dr David Bellamy OBE, distinguished naturalist, author and broadcaster, visited Bourne (January 29th) to give the inaugural Len Pick Memorial Lecture at the Corn Exchange. Dr Bellamy, a respected environmentalist of considerable standing, called his talk The Green Renaissance – Stitching the World Back Together, and it was delivered in his own inimitable style. Chairman of the trustees, Jonathan Forster, said afterwards: “The evening went extremely well and the fact that the tickets were fully subscribed within a few days of their release demonstrates that the concept is a popular one and one that we will build on in the ensuing years in remembrance of our benefactor”. The lecture was the first in a series to be given annually by the trust in memory of its founder.

September 2010: Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, visited Bourne on Monday September 27th to open a new £700,000 block of three classrooms and kitchen with canteen facilities at the Abbey CE Primary School in Abbey Road. He was due to arrive by helicopter at the Abbey Lawn but was diverted to RAF Wittering because of bad weather and completed the journey by Land Rover to be welcomed by teachers, governors and pupils waving Union Jack flags and during his visit he cut a ceremonial ribbon leading to the extensions and unveiled a commemorative plaque.

Head teacher Cherry Edwards was delighted with the visit. "We were all very excited and nervous but he greeted us with warmth and spoke to many of the children", she said afterwards. "He was very interested in our school and the day was very special and memorable.”

A request for a royal visit was made by the school earlier in the year and it was confirmed the following month that the prince would be coming. He stayed for an hour before leaving for another engagement at Grantham. The chairman of the governors, John Kirkman, said that the visit was a great honour and privilege for both the school and for Bourne because, as he pointed out: “We do not get many royal visits. But this was quite memorable and one the children will remember for a long time to come."

April 2013: The Duke of Edinburgh arrived to open a new teaching block at Bourne Grammar School in South Road on Thursday 18th April. He arrived by car at 3.30 pm to be met by a large crowd lining the entrance and was welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Tony Worth, before being introduced to assembled dignitaries from the town including the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Helen Powell. He then toured the new building which is devoted to the teaching of systems, control and computing and has been named the Turing Centre after Alan Turing, father of computer sciences. Afterwards, he attended a reception for visitors and staff, the school governors, prefects and heads of house, before leaving soon after 4.30 pm. "It was a spectacular day", said headteacher Jonathan Maddox. "The Duke is the most senior member of the Royal family for visit Bourne and so this has been a highlight in the history of school and the town."