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Johnson Brothers Ltd
The depot in Manning Road, Bourne, was opened by Johnson Brothers (Bourne) Limited in 1965 on the site of the old brewery, retailing and servicing a wide variety of farm machinery ranging from tractors to lawn mowers and employing 13 people. The site had been disused for several years and had become one of the town's eyesores but the building was eventually demolished and new premises were built by the firm which already had a strong presence in the High Street at Spalding with an ironmongery shop, showrooms and repair workshops and the intention was to establish similar facilities in Bourne. The company already had an association with the town because the managing director of the new company, Mr John Wade, had been in partnership for more than 20 years with Mr W M Friend in a successful agricultural and engineering business based in Meadowgate. The modern showroom was approached by a wide drive surrounding a spacious forecourt for the display of large machinery with stores, workshops and offices behind. The owner, Mr W W Johnson, said: "In these days when costly and complex machines are playing an increasing role on the farms of our country, the servicing and repair of these machines calls for modern, clean, dust-free workshops and a spare parts service to avoid delays when machines must be kept going." An open day was held on February 25th when everyone from the area who was interested in agriculture was invited to inspect the new facilities and a comprehensive range of the latest farm machines were on display with company representatives on hand to answer questions about their price and performance. Forty years later, it was decided that larger premises were needed to cope with the increasing size of farm machinery for sale and repairs and in addition, the company has been plagued by vandalism and security problems and there have been several burglaries with the theft of equipment including tractors and chainsaws worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. In July 2005, the directors therefore decided to move to a larger town centre location and negotiations were soon underway to sell the 1.3 acre site for development. The buyers were Stepnell Limited of Grantham, Lincolnshire, who cleared the land to make way for a three-storey complex of 45 apartments for elderly people with live-in care staff, a restaurant and formal gardens.
WRITTEN JULY 2005 See also
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