Braceborough

The 17th century Manor Farm

This was once Braceborough Spa, a secluded place of mineral springs which were popular in centuries past. The village is tucked out of the way between the A15 and A6121, four miles south of Bourne, and you will miss it unless you keep your eyes open for the signpost.

The chalybeate springs in the Bourne area spawned an entire mineral water industry that made the town famous and this underground source also extended further afield to Braceborough. As a result, many people visited the village, particularly during the 18th century when it was claimed that by drinking or bathing in the water they would be cured of all ills, even leprosy and scurvy. John Buswell, who ran the spa around 1740, attracted clients through newspaper advertising which also offered food and accommodation during their stay and he often used testimonials of these miracle cures to justify them.

Such outrageous claims have now been banned by successive legislation but in times past, those wishing to find a cure for an ailment or seeking better health were attracted to the spas of pure water that could be found dotted around the country, such as here at Braceborough, and therefore became very popular and extensively patronised by sufferers from a multitude of complaints, hence the phrase “taking the waters”.

A bathing house was built here in 1841 when the springs were reported to be yielding 1½ million gallons of mineral water a day that gushed forth, according to one eye witness, at the rate of "seven hogsheads a minute" and he also noted: "The mineral water here is known for its remarkable purity and abundance of gaseous constituents, rendering it eminently suitable for drinking and dietetic purposes. It also exerts a beneficial action used externally in certain affections of the skin." 

The spa prospered for many years but gradually declined, along with other British spas, because of the advent of new drugs such as the sulphonamides, in the early years of the last century. An attempt was made to revive the facility in 1927 when a new company was formed by Sir Ernest Trollope, the local landowner, and Mr Henry Wing of Red Lion Square, Stamford, but Sir Ernest died before the project got underway. Nevertheless, the business went ahead in the autumn of that year for the sale of several thousand bottles of spa water each week, both in Britain and abroad, and the extension and improvement of facilities for bathing, accommodation for rest, refreshment and recreation while taking the waters, although the original impetus for its revival was not maintained and by 1939, the spa had finally closed down.  

In view of this spa's recommendation for healthy living, it is perhaps fitting that the imposing and spacious Braceborough Hall has become a retirement home where the more affluent of our senior citizens can live out their final years. Few now know about Braceborough Spa although it once boasted its own railway station which survives as a private residence known as Spa Halt. 

The old railway station was bought in December 1964 by a London couple, James Lawlor, aged 67, and his wife Jessie, aged 63, who decided that they were not too old for a rural retreat and despite warnings from local people that it was a hopeless task, turned it into a comfortable modern home by 1968. Said Mrs Lawlor: "When we saw this place, we both fell in love with it at once." The cream, green and black decor used by British Railways was covered over with a light wallpaper, the old booking office became a dining room and the waiting room was transformed into a guest room. All of the old station's living accommodation was stripped and redecorated, a bathroom was built on and outside the wash-house became a tool shed while the platform with its end ramp now forms the basis of the garage and its driveway. Mr Lawlor levelled the surrounding land and put in paths, steps and walls and planted shrubs and flowers. The total cost of conversion was £3,500 although they also had an unexpected expense when the well which provided the property with water dried up and they had to sink a new borehole at a cost of £300.

The old school is now used as a village hall and has just been extensively refurbished at a cost of £55,000. It was built in 1871 as St Margaret's School but was taken over in recent years for community use-by villagers from Braceborough and the neighbouring village of Wilsthorpe. The alterations and extensions to the dilapidated building were started in March 1998 and took a year to complete. They included the addition of a new extension housing a lobby and storeroom, a kitchen and toilets with facilities for the disabled. Inside the hall, a bar area has been created and new lighting, heating and audio equipment installed and the entire building redecorated. The original school bell in the open bell-cote over the front porch has also been restored and outside, a patio area has been created and a new lawn laid for the garden area.

Money for the work came from local councils, donations, fund-raising and the Millennium Commission and a small plaque on a rear wall announces that this was "A millennium project supported by funds from the National Lottery". The refurbished hall was re-opened on 24th July 1999 and the new facilities and additional space gave it greater use for wedding receptions and local functions.                                      

The village is one of sequestered charm, enhanced by several thatched cottages and a mix of the old and the new, including a fine terrace of stone cottages in the main street, pictured above, where one occupant spent his life collecting a magnificent display of farm machinery that was displayed in his garden. The village also contains a number of well designed modern bungalows set in ample grounds. 

Cottages in the main street (top), the village church, the organ and some of the colourful hassocks in the nave.

St Margaret's Church has a fine porch from 1662 and a sturdy church tower with a soaring broach spire dating back to the 13th century and a wheelchair ramp inside the porch reminds us of the elderly residents who now live in this village. There are several items of antiquity inside, importantly the Norman font, its square bowl carved with arches, zigzag and diamond pattern, although the tiny apsidal chancel has largely been rebuilt. Yet another is a big stone with the impress of a brass to Thomas de Wasteneys who died here of the Black Death in 1349. The window in the south aisle contains figures of saints Luke, Paul and Mark, and is the work of the eminent Victorian stained glass artist C E Kempe whose output in Lincolnshire was impressive. The organ is small but magnificent in its new livery of blue and gold while another dash of colour is provided by the hand-embroidered hassocks, neatly lined up in the pews ready for the comfort of worshippers at mattins or evensong next Sunday.

A major rebuilding programme was completed in 1859 and the 150th anniversary of this work was celebrated on Sunday 13th September 2009 with a thanksgiving and commemorative service which also marked the latest improvements being made to the pews. The archdeacon, the Very Rev Tim Barker, preached a sermon and the choir from All Saints' Church, Stamford, sang with bellringers from the nearby village church at Greatford in the tower. There were biblical texts, readings and hymns from the original consecration service held on 8th September 1859 and afterwards, everyone adjourned to the church hall for refreshments.

The lane that runs past the church provides a charming view of Manor Farm, built in the 17th century vernacular, L-shaped with moulded stone stacks and the usual two and three light windows. It is surrounded by ancient farm buildings whilst on the opposite side of the lane to the south west, is Ivy Farm which has a late 13th century window incorporated into the upper reaches of its end wall, perhaps rescued during earlier restoration work on the church.

The East Glen River runs past the edge of Braceborough and summer time will find it a mass of burgeoning leaves and grass, a tranquil scene that has endured for many centuries past although the persistent use of agro-chemicals has cost us most of our wild flowers. This is part of England's green and pleasant land, the rural landscape evocatively described by the painter, poet and mystic William Blake (1757-1827), and one that is remembered with a deep affection and nostalgia by all who have lived here and are now far from home. In spite of the poor treatment it gets from some farmers, our countryside retreats stubbornly in the face of such adversity although it has changed for the worse in a single lifetime. At this season of the year, it still bursts forth to give us another magnificent display but unless these practices are moderated, we cannot expect such resistance to continue indefinitely.

BRACEBOROUGH IN PAST TIMES
The vicarage at Braceborough around 1908, the photographer unknown except for the initials PW on the front of the picture. He appears to have been at fault in his identification because the living at that time is listed in Kelly's Directory as a rectory, not a vicarage, and the incumbent was the Rev Richard Bishop Paine, the rector.
The Keeper's Cottage at Braceborough photographed for a picture postcard issued circa 1964.
A steam train passing through the level crossing at Braceborough Spa (left) on its way to Essendine with the station on the right. The crossing gates remained for several years after closure (right) but were finally removed together with the platform and lamps in 1959.
The Braceborough Spa Halt which closed with the line in June 1951 and is now a private house.

PHOTO ALBUM

The old St Margaret’s School now converted for use as the village hall.

REVISED FEBRUARY 2014

See also

Bourne and its spas     The Braceborough collector
 

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