The Cedars

RETIREMENT AND REST HOME
OPENED IN 1990

The impressive stone building off Church Walk is known as The Cedars and was formerly the vicarage from 1878 when it was erected with materials salvaged from the Abbey House nearby. By the early 1980s, it had become too large and uneconomical to run for clergymen in modern times and now provides useful service as a residential care home for the elderly.

The building was named after the five cedar trees growing in the 1½ acres of grounds and was officially opened after extensive refurbishment in February 1987 by Canon Gordon Lanham and his wife Josephine who had lived there when he was Vicar of Bourne from 1970-84.

During the work, builders found information about another former resident because a letter from Jenny Neesham, a 15-year-old girl who had lived there 20 years before, was discovered tucked away behind a brick in the attic giving details of her family and a description of how she looked at the time.

Despite its age and provenance, The Cedars was not listed Grade II during the last survey of historic buildings in July 1977 and this may have been because of its out of the way location which resulted in it being missed. Two others which suffered the same fate, the Victorian chapel and the Ostler memorial fountain in the South Road cemetery, were subsequently listed in 2007 after being brought to the attention of English Heritage.

The official opening of The Cedars was performed on 18th May 1990 by the town's Member of Parliament, Quentin Davies who also unveiled the new west wing extension on 28th July 2000 and brass plaques on the wall inside the home record both events. Since then there has been a constant programme of renewal and modernisation. In June 2010, Mr Davies, who had just become a life peer, returned as a guest at the garden party to mark the 20th anniversary of the building attended by residents, their families, staff and friends.

The home is now owned by Avery Health Care of Northampton, one of the few care companies in the country with an active building programme, having secured finance for the development of a raft of new homes across the UK, bringing its portfolio to a planned total of 30. It contains 56 rooms on two floors with en suite facilities and many overlooking the spacious gardens. There is also a dining room, quiet rooms and communal lounges with a daily and varied programme of recreational and leisure activities designed to foster companionship among residents, a hairdressing salon attended by professional staff and wireless broadband throughout the building available to both residents and visitors.

An outside veranda overlooks the Bourne Eau and the gardens have fine views of the nearby Abbey Church. The home also has an open policy for visitors, whether friends and relatives of residents or local people wishing to find out more. "Come and see for yourself", says their brochure. "We are proud of this home and the special atmosphere that has been established there."

The Cedars is one of only 25 homes nationally to have been awarded the Gold Standard Framework for End of Life Care and also has accredited Beacon Status, the highest possible rating for Palliative Care. This award was first made in 2009 and again in February 2012 when the certificate was presented to the matron, Helen Brewster, and her deputy, Helen Cochran, during a visit by officers from the Care Quality Commission. "Our team is proud its record and this recognises the hard work they do in ensuring that all of our residents receive the highest quality care", said Mrs Brewster.

PHOTO ALBUM

A rare photograph of the old vicarage at Bourne taken after a severe winter snowstorm in 1911.

A postcard view of the vicarage from circa 1930.

- news report from The Local newspaper, Friday 7th August 2009.

REVISED JANUARY 2012

See also     The Abbey House     The vicarage     The Pochin family

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