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St Peter's Pool A BATHING PLACE FOR DOGS
In the late 19th century, St Peter's Pool became a popular place for pet owners to wash their dogs, a practice that many people found unacceptable and there were protests to the authorities that it was likely to contaminate the water supply. These were the days before the formation of the local councils that run our affairs today and the Wellhead at that time was under the control of the Rural Sanitary Authority. The Bourne Union, administered by a Board of Guardians, was mainly responsible for all other local affairs, including the workhouse which overlooked the Wellhead. The master, Alfred Yates, was one of the principal objectors, and his complaint was supported by the local correspondent of the Stamford Mercury who at that time was Joseph Davies, headmaster of the Boys' Council or Board School, now the Abbey Road Primary School. On Friday 10th July 1891 he wrote: "Mr Yates is perfectly justified in complaining of the nuisance of the owners of dogs and other animals utilising the Wellhead as a bath for their charges. The water is the direct source of supply for the workhouse and we are only surprised that the complaint was not made before. We venture to say that the most enthusiastic temperance advocate would find his principles somewhat shaken if, suffering from the thirst that attacks most poor mortals in sultry weather, his only local options lay between a glass of Wyles's ale [from Bourne Brewery] and a glass of Wellhead water, in which dogs big and dogs little, dogs woolly and dogs smooth, with the dirt and fleas upon them, had previously left these superfluous concrescences in solution. There are still a few liberty-loving citizens surviving who tenaciously cling to the idea that rivers and streams are the cemeteries that nature has provided for their ailing cats and dogs and there, with an appended brick by way of an epitaph, they consign their remains. We would mildly suggest to these patriots, the prejudice of their other fellow citizens to having in their cheery cup of tea a canine or feline infusion. Seriously speaking, it appears to us a mere matter of common sense. Whatever the law may be, the Board of Guardians will be only doing their duty in apprising the police of the matter and effectively preventing, by any reasonable means, the contamination of that most important of all hygienic regulation - a supply of pure water. Probably the offenders have erred without due thought. We believe they will quite see the force of our appeal and scrub their dogs at home." The Bourne Union met on July 9th to consider the various complaints and the guardians recommended that the Rural Sanitary Authority take the necessary action to stop the washing of dogs and in the meantime, notices would be posted around the pool warning offenders. Return to St Peter's Pool
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