Books
CDs and DVDs relating
to Bourne
 

 A BRIEF HISTORY OF BOURNE

THIS NEW BOOK by Rex Needle provides an introduction to our history, giving the story of the town's development from the earliest times together with descriptions of the important buildings such as the Abbey Church and the Red Hall, and institutions and organisations that have survived the years. These accounts embrace the growth of agriculture, religion, crime and education, the aerated water industry which became famous throughout the world and the arrival of the railways which brought a new prosperity. There are also short biographies of the people who lived here. Read more.

 HERITAGE OF BOURNE

A FILM ON DVD specially produced to help our local organisations and a must for everyone who is interested in this historic market town. It contains a wealth of information about our past and many of the important people who lived here and has been produced by Helen Powell who provides the commentary. The film runs for 71 minutes with music accompaniment and features a fascinating glimpse of a leading artist at work on capturing one of our picturesque landmarks, Baldock's Mill in South Street. Read more.

STAMFORD, BOURNE AND THE DEEPINGS has been written by local historian Rex Needle and illustrated with a series of watercolours by the Rutland artist Alan Oliver. The result is this beautiful volume of almost 100 pages in full colour and printed on art paper to ensure that the paintings are shown to their full effect. Copies may now be obtained from selected retail outlets or by post direct from the publishers. Read more.

TALES OF BOURNE FROM PAST TIMES is a substantial work running to some 200 pages with 150 illustrations in colour and black and white, and deals with people, places, events, disasters and public services, as well as Bourne at war from the imperial conflicts of the Victorian age through to the two world wars of the last century. The author, local historian Rex Needle, intends it to be a serendipity of our history and heritage and although it can be read straight through from cover to cover by the dedicated reader, it can also be used for random selection or serene dipping, the reader knowing that whichever passage they choose will not affect the continuity and therefore spoil the enjoyment. Read more.

A PORTRAIT OF BOURNE on CD-ROM, written and researched by Rex Needle, is the definitive history of this small market town with more than two million words of text and over 6,000 photographs chronicling its origins as a settlement to the present day, listing the places and the people and literally hundreds of them are mentioned here together with accounts of the progress of agriculture, religion, education, health, public services and buildings and for good measure, there are short illustrated histories of the surrounding 60 villages. See A Portrait of Bourne

FIFTEEN YEARS of weekly entries from the Bourne Diary brought together on one disc, Rex Needle's personal commentary on issues and events embracing what is going on in politics, finance, local government and the conduct of our councillors, to policing, the environment, roads and traffic, what is happening to our historic buildings and the countryside. Informed, informative, occasionally irreverent and often humorous but always entertaining, and covering more than a decade in Bourne's history. Read more.

BRM: A MECHANIC'S TALE by Dick Salmon is now available. Dick joined the company in 1951 and stayed with the team for seventeen years and his book tells the story of the people behind the motor racing success and brings together a remarkable collection of photographs and memorabilia. The book is published by Veloce Publishing and is obtainable, price £39.99 online from Veloce Publishing or from Dick Salmon at 58 Gladstone Street, Bourne PE10 9AX or email.

RAYMOND MAYS OF BOURNE was published in 1994 and is a photographic remembrance of the racing days of the man who became the driving force behind the ERA and BRM racing cars, compiled and published by Michael McGregor. These photographs were found in the attic of his lifetime home at Eastgate House, Bourne, after his death in 1980. The book is soft cover, A4 format, 56 pages in black and white, with a foreword by Peter Putterill, secretary of  Bourne Civic Society, and is priced at £6, available from the Heritage Centre at Baldock's Mill, Bourne, and from Walkers Books at 19 North Street, Bourne, PE10 9AE.

TRIUMPH & TRAGEDY is the story of Sir John Black, the legend behind the Standard and post-war Triumph cars and written by his son, Nick Black. Sir John was managing director of the Standard Motor Company and post-war Triumph from 1933-54 and his story has a Bourne connection because he sponsored BRM through Raymond Mays, a friend for many years, and Standard subsequently built and equipped the workshops in Spalding Road. Ken Richardson, who was chief test driver for BRM, also went on to work for Sir John and ended up developing the legendary TR2 sports car. The book is priced £15 and copies are available from Walkers Books at 19 North Street, Bourne, PE10 9AE.

IMAGES OF BOURNE is a pictorial tour written and photographed by local historian Rex Needle, a description of the community which sprang up around an ancient spring and now has a population of 15,000. This DVD shows all of the main buildings, streets and places of interest while telling of its development through colour photographs taken by the author during the last decade including the 12th century Abbey Church, the Red Hall from 1605 and other listed buildings together with a glimpse of Bourne Wood. Designed and produced by the author, running time is one hour, with orchestral accompaniment. Read more.

HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS of Bourne is a fascinating book by Dr Michael McGregor, a retired general practitioner, who has collected dozens of old photographs over the years from patients and friends to provide a glimpse of the town over the past 100 years and we are able to see how it has changed. Dr McGregor financed the printing of this book himself and all profits go to The Heritage Centre at Baldock's Mill in which he has a keen interest. The book costs £10 and can be obtained from the centre at weekends or from the local bookshop, Walkers at 19 North Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9AE United Kingdom.

THE BOURNE CHRONICLE is an illustrated history of this town in dates and events compiled by local historian Rex Needle, from the earliest times to the present day with pen portraits of many people who have played their part in the life of the town and a description of how Bourne looks today. The book is now available from Walkers at 19 North Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9AE and from the Heritage Centre in South Street, or you may use the society's postal application form. The cost is £5, all proceeds to the Civic Society.

THE RED HALL is the most famous secular building in Bourne dating from 1605 but has a chequered history, once a  family residence and then the railway station booking office for almost a century. There have been attempts in recent years to have it pulled down but it has survived and is now owned and carefully preserved by Bourne United Charities. This photo presentation on DVD produced by Rex Needle tells the remarkable tale of its history, construction and some of its famous owners, not least the railway companies who did little to ensure its survival as steam locomotives and rolling stock rattled by daily. Read more.

BASTON THROUGH THE AGES is now available in colour in a durable spiral bound A5 publication of 90 pages and with glossy covers, priced at £10. The book ranges over 6,000 years of village history with individual reminiscences from the past 70 years. Details can be found on the village web site and for details of how to purchase a copy, please email one of the prime movers in this project, Peter Rayner of the Baston Environmental Group.

CARLBY THEN AND NOW is the new history of this village, four miles south west of Bourne, written and compiled by Ian Dair and containing many photographs from past and present times. Copies are available at £5 each from Ian at 32 Templeman Drive, Carlby, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 4NQ, telephone 01778 590525 or email.

RIPPINGALE VILLAGE has been compiled by two local ladies, Rosetta Atkinson and Pat Cottam, who have recorded the village history in words and pictures to celebrate the millennium and the result is this generous volume of 350 pages that is well bound and easy to read. It is more a social document than an official history, giving a taste of village life over the centuries with an abundance of photographs showing faces that have been familiar to the locality. The book costs £15 and copies can be obtained from Mrs R Atkinson at 2 Doctor's Lane, Rippingale, near Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0ST, telephone 01778 440678.

A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE traces the story of Witham-on-the-Hill, near Bourne, from the earliest times to the present day, and has now been issued in .pdf format on CD. The original book published in 2001 with a cover price of £9.99, sold out and this has been seen as a more viable option for the second edition. Copies are available at £6 each, plus £2 for p&p. The CD is compatible with any modern PC, Apple, Unix or Linus operating system, and can be read by either Adobe Reader or Apple Preview, both of which can be downloaded free. To order a copy, send a cheque for £8 payable to Witham-on-the-Hill Historical Society to Bantry House, Manthorpe, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 0JE with your name and address or you may collect a copy for £6 but please telephone 01778 590204 to arrange.

FROM LINCOLNSHIRE TO THE BUSH is a history of the Ball Family from Aslackby, near Bourne, and their Australian descendants, and is now available. It has been compiled by Ted Ball from Shepparton, Australia, and comprises a 430 page history of the family which originated with Temple Ball and his wife Sarah (née Pell) who emigrated to Australia with five children in 1872. Ted has travelled to Lincolnshire on two occasions to gather material for the book which will be of interest to all connected with this family who are compiling their family trees. The price is about £28 plus postage from Family Publication, Ted Ball, 20 Davies Drive, East Shepparton, Victoria, Australia 3630 or by emailing Ted.