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THE ORNAMENTAL drinking fountain that stood in the market place at Bourne for a hundred years has been retired after being threatened by modern traffic flows. It was designed by Edward Browning and erected in 1860 as a memorial to one of the town's 19th century worthies, property owner John Lely Ostler, who had died the previous year, and paid for by public subscription and although his connection with the town was only a short one, he must have been a man of some consequence to deserve such public recognition. The edifice consisted of a canopy supported on four shafts of Aberdeen granite in a typically Victorian mock Gothic style and although it ceased to function as a fountain soon after its installation, the monument remained in the market place until 1960 when its interference with the increasing flow of vehicles through the town centre necessitated its removal. It was therefore taken to a place of safety in Bourne Cemetery and in July 2007, on the recommendation of English Heritage, it was listed Grade II by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. During 2009, the fountain was restored by the town council at a cost of £9,000.
The fascinating story of the Ostler fountain and the man it commemorates Return to HOME PAGE MAIN INDEX 
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