The North Street terrace

THE DISTINCTIVE TERRACE of four cottages in North Street was built circa 1880 by the Marquess of Exeter, Lord of the Manor of Bourne, as homes for artisans and they were in continual occupation until bought for redevelopment in 2000. They are marked on maps of the town in 1891 when they were known simply as The Terrace but were then part of a longer row that extended further northwards along the roadside although the others were demolished in 1974 to make way for the town bus station and access to St Gilbert's Road.

These houses are solidly built of red brick and a roof of blue slate in the urban Victorian style of the late 19th century with the distinctive bay windows of the period, chimney stacks and stone lintels over doors and windows still intact, together with a contemporary brick wall that serves as a frontage to the pavement. 

There was a public outcry in 2001 when plans were announced to demolish them to make way for a new housing development but in the event they were restored to form part of the new scheme now known as Marquess Court after the man who built the original terrace in the late 19th century. Overall, the final design is commendable because the developers have kept their promise to retain the original Victorian style of the North Street terrace.