An engraving from circa 1860 published by William Sang, a printer with premises in the market place, shortly after the erection of the Ostler memorial fountain and one of the earliest known views of the town.

This is the oldest known photograph of the Market Place in Bourne, taken in 1871 by Joseph Tye Flatters who worked as a professional photographer in Bourne before emigrating to Canada with his family later that year, taking this photograph with him as a reminder of his home town, and this copy was sent to me by his descendants in 2000.

A rare photograph of market day in Bourne taken in 1871.

Two more old photographs of the Market Place taken at the turn of the 19th century by William Redshaw whose local views of the town provide us with a glimpse of the way things were and many still survive. The sepia print above dates from 1890 when the main traffic was horse drawn and the roads could be muddy in wet weather while the picture on the left was taken ten years later. Redshaw knew how to bring his photographs alive and the majority have townspeople standing in various places to give added interest to the scene he was portraying. A cameraman excited great curiosity in those days and so there was never any shortage of volunteers.

The Market Place in Bourne, circa 1890, showing the Bull, now the Burghley
 Arms, as a "Family and Commercial Hotel". 

An early view of the Market Place, date unknown but most probably late 19th century. The use of the two boys to add interest to this picture indicates that it was most probably taken by William Redshaw.

Street lamps lit by gas supplied by the Bourne Gas and Coke Company could be found throughout the town and there were eventually 56 public gas lamps at various vantage points, including this one in the Market Place in this picture from 1909.  Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire reported in 1885: "The town consists principally of four streets diverting from the Market Place, all remarkably clean and lighted with gas." The Nag's Head Hotel can be seen on the right, the Corn Exchange in the right centre and the shop directly opposite is that of Henry Rodgers, grocer, dressmaker and milliner.

The scene circa 1900, after the stone built bank premises, now
Lloyds TSB, were erected. The road surface also indicates that the motor car had not yet made its mark on the town.

A picture postcard view from 1900.

Sheep pens in the Market Place for a livestock sale circa 1900.

This picture is dated circa 1900, with the Ostler fountain still in its original position before it was moved to the town cemetery. 

The Market Place circa 1900 photographed by William Redshaw.

Postcard view from 1900.

This rare view of the Market Place in Bourne was taken in 1905 as a postcard view of the town for the Photographic Series published by Renaud of Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Lancashire, and later sold by John T Morris, printer and stationer, of West Street. The Ostler memorial drinking fountain was still there although increasing traffic flows necessitated its removal to the town cemetery in 1960. The photographer had to cope with the usual crowd of inquisitive boys but they have been used to good effect to add a period atmosphere to this picture. The Town Hall can be clearly seen with a cupola on the clock tower which was destroyed by fire in 1933 while the building to the left is the Bull Inn whose name was changed to the Burghley Arms in 1955 to remember the first Lord Burghley who is reputed to have been born there in 1520 when it was a private house. The shop on the extreme right on the corner of South Street was occupied by Robert Blacklock Stanger, saddle and harness maker, who died in 15th May 1924 at the age of 79. He had begun his business at Ryhall, near Stamford, later moving to Toft where he also farmed, and then to Bourne where he lived for 30 years. Later in the 20th century, the premises became the Dinky Sweetshop and is now a barber's shop. 

The weekly markets in times past were held in the town centre, then known as the market place, with stalls erected at the kerbside along both sides of North Street and outside the Town Hall, as shown in this photograph taken from a postcard of Market Day in 1908. Going to market in those days was also a social occasion which is why everyone is so well dressed. Wives would meet to buy and gossip and the market often continued until late into Saturday night, sometimes until 10 pm.
The photograph below is from the same period on a normal working day.

The picture above was taken by Ashby Swift in 1910, long before the motor car invaded our streets, and even though this is a busy scene, it is redolent of an unhurried age while shoppers take their time to buy their produce and other bargains on offer. His vantage point was the first floor of the Nag's Head Hotel, looking towards North Street, and his photograph is one of the most descriptive of this scene at that time. It was the increasing flow of traffic that sounded the death knell for the market at this location and it was finally moved off the streets in the interests of road safety in December 1990 and is now held on a purpose built site behind the town hall while the town centre that you see here is regularly jammed with vehicles passing through, making this an extremely hazardous place for pedestrians. The photograph below also dates from the same year.

A picture postcard of the market place from circa 1910.

A picture postcard view of a deserted market place in 1910.

More views (above) of the Market Place from the early years of the 20th century, the bottom photograph showing the shop of Alfred Gant, saddler and harness maker.

The photograph above also dates from 1920 showing the old National Provincial Bank on the right which was replaced by the present building during the 1950s. There were no restriction on parking cars which were left anywhere that was convenient and pedestrians walked down the middle of the road in complete safety. The photograph below was taken by William Redshaw about 1925 when motorised transport was beginning to make an impact on the street scene, causing some chaos here on market day.

The panoramic view above was taken circa 1920 by local photographer Ashby Swift. The shop on the right of the Town Hall was that of Nathan Lowe, draper and grocer, and the Ostler memorial drinking fountain can be seen in front of the Nag's Head Hotel.

The flapper style dresses of the ladies and the roadside stalls indicate that this picture was taken outside the town hall on market day around 1920 when
Curry's Ltd, the cycle dealers, had opened their shop in the market place.

The date of the photograph above is circa 1920, showing workmen clearing up and dismantling stalls after the Thursday weekly market and was taken from a bedroom window at the Angel Hotel by Mr J E Blunt of Weybridge, Surrey, who was staying there at the time. It shows Mr Jack Pool, who was in charge of the market at that time, about to remove the tilt or cover from the fish stall run by L Braime and Sons, herring curers of High Street, Boston. Mr Pool was lame, having suffered from polio as an infant, and the bicycle he used to move around can just be seen propped up against the corner of the stall. The workman standing holding the broom is Mr Lane whose full time job was as a road sweeper for Bourne Urban District Council but also earned extra cash helping Mr Pool and two more workers clean up on market days, the others being Wrety Green, who lived in part of the Wellhead Cottage, then divided into two homes, and a man called Harry who lived in Abbey Road, opposite the Abbey Lawn, whose main job was as potman at the Angel Hotel. I am indebted to Trevor Pool, son of Jack Pool, for this photograph and memories of the market place in past times.

The picture above is from same same period, circa 1920, showing the tower on the Town Hall intact but it was destroyed by fire thirteen years later. This was most probably a Thursday market day scene with shoppers thronging the main street without any fear of the danger from passing traffic. There is a similar scene below taken from a picture postcard.

The market place in 1938, already a stopping place for buses.

A street scene from 1950 when motorised traffic had already started to increase although the Ostler memorial drinking fountain was still intact and was not removed until ten years later when it became a hazard to passing vehicles. The Burghley Arms was also still known as the Bull, the name being changed in 1955.

A picture postcard of the market place circa 1962.

A busy scene on a Thursday market day in 1967 (above) while the picture on the left was taken two years later and gives an excellent view of the market stalls ranged along the pavement in North Street where the overhanging tarpaulins left little space for walking except in single file.

Postcard view from 1969. Note the miniskirt, the ladies' fashion at the time.