The Abbey Lawn

The Abbey Lawn

Saturday afternoon cricket on the Abbey Lawn pitch.

Bourne is blessed with green spaces for relaxation and sport. The recreation ground was opened in 1911 as part of the celebrations for King George V and since then there has been ample space for generations of townspeople, both young and old, to enjoy their leisure time. The Wellhead Gardens are the perfect place for a daily stroll in pleasurable surroundings while for the more energetic, the Abbey Lawn that is endowed by an ancient charity, provides facilities for a wide variety of sports for both the beginner and the veteran.

The land originally formed part of the grounds of Bourne Abbey but the public were allowed to use it at the discretion of the vicar. There is no record of the public ever being banned from using the Abbey Lawn for this purpose and so it became the town's unofficial recreation ground and has been in use for such purposes for at least 200 years. The land was eventually acquired by a syndicate of local businessmen who rented out the rights for cricket and football but in 1931, it was under threat from housing development and was bought by Bourne United Charities for £700, to which the cricket club, one of the main users, made a token donation of £20. The purchase was made by BUC with the intention of preserving it as an open space and sports ground for the town in perpetuity and since then there has been a continuous programme of improvement and upkeep for both the sports playing areas and the outdoor swimming pool which is part of the complex.

A plaque on the left hand column at the main gate says: "These grounds were purchased in the years 1931-34 by the Trustees of Bourne United Charities in order to preserve the same as an open space for ever and the work of levelling and laying out the grounds was carried out by trainees from the Ministry of Labour Instructional Centre, Bourne." There is a second notice on the opposite column that says: "The trees and shrubs in these grounds were planted to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of HM King George the Fifth, 6th May 1935."

The Abbey Lawn has also become one of the most attractive cricket grounds in Lincolnshire and home to the Bourne Town Cricket Club. Their activities date from 1803 but current records only go back to 1920 and although their home matches have always been played on this ground, the facilities have become greatly enhanced under the present ownership.

There was once a putting green here (circa 1965) but now closed. It was a great attraction during the summer months when visitors could spend an enjoyable hour or so for 3d. a round. Three pence in those days, when there was 240 pence to the pound, would be about 20p at today's values and so you can imagine that it was a very popular pastime, especially for courting couples on hot and sunny Sunday afternoons when the ice cream man was waiting nearby with his Stop-me-and-buy-one pedal cart.

Bourne Tennis Club, which formerly played on courts in Burghley Street, now uses the Abbey Lawn. It was originally known as the Bourne Tennis and Croquet Club and had played at the Burghley Street venue for almost 100 years but when the land was sold in 1958, members were forced to seek a new location. They were saved by a fortunate coincidence because around this time, Bourne United Charities were planning a new set of courts on the site of the Monks Garden which was part of the Abbey Lawn property and had once been used to provide vegetables and herbs for the monks of Bourne Abbey.

It was intended that the new courts would supplement those already in use by the Bourne Hard Courts Tennis Club which had been opened in May 1922 and it was agreed that the two should merge to form a combined club. The ground was subsequently levelled and drained and Messrs W A North and Son Limited, the forage merchants who had bought the Burghley Street site, allowed turf from the old courts to be lifted and used for the new ones on the Abbey Lawn which were opened for play in May 1959. The old tennis pavilion however was deemed to be unsuitable for removal and was sold for scrap. Within six years there were 70 members playing friendly and competitive matches, while the men's team successfully competed in the Lincolnshire League's Third Division.

One of the best known local sporting organisations, the Bourne Town Bowls Club, occupies land on the far corner of the site. The origins of the club date back to 1953 when it was known as the Abbey Road Bowling Club but has expanded over the years. A brick built pavilion, pictured above, was completed in 1977 and two years later the club changed its name to the Bourne Town Bowls Club with a total of 130 members playing there on a regular basis.

But perhaps the most popular sport to be played here is soccer and over many years, Bourne teams have generally gained a high reputation for their games. The Bourne Town Football Club was founded in 1883 and has been nicknamed The Wakes. Their colours are claret and sky blue and their ground has a capacity of 5,000. The team is backed by an active supporters' club and has drawn Saturday afternoon crowds to the ground for many seasons past with a record attendance of over 3,000 for the F A Trophy match with Chelmsford in 1970.

The football stadium (above) and cricket club headquarters (below), opened on 3rd August 1966 after the previous premises were destroyed by fire.

But the football club's association with the Abbey Lawn may soon change because they are currently considering to a new purpose built ground on land in Meadow Drove.
(See also Bourne Town Football Club).

In winter, the Abbey Lawn was also the home of the Bourne Hockey Club, formed in 1921, and frequently providing members for the county team. The club achieved prominence during the 1950s and 1960s under the captaincy of the legendary Bob Creasey when they became one of the strongest sides in Lincolnshire although league hockey was not introduced until 1970. Bourne became founder members of the county league and competed until the amalgamation into the Printwize East League in 1980. The club now has four teams in this competition but as the game is now played on astro-turf, they moved from the Abbey Lawn in 1998 to the council-owned pitches at Market Deeping.
(See also Sporting organisations).

In the far corner of the Abbey Lawn, near to the eastern entrance, is a relatively new sport. An enclosed court has been established for petanque, a type of boules played especially in France and a game that has gained popularity since the town became twinned with Doudeville in Normandy in October 1989.

The handsome hand-forged, wrought iron entrance gates to the Abbey Lawn were made during the 18th century and formerly graced an estate entrance to a stately home in Derbyshire. They were acquired and installed in 1933 by the trustees of Bourne United Charities and the side gates were made to match by Mr W M Friend, an agricultural engineer and specialist in metal work who was in business in Bourne at that time.

PICTURESQUE AVENUE OF ELMS FELLED

One of the most attractive features of the Abbey Lawn during the 19th century was an avenue of elm trees along the northern boundary with Star Lane, now Abbey Road. The trees were interspersed with a number of stone cairns, built with materials that may have come either from the Abbey House when it was demolished in 1879 or even from the old abbey itself. But the trees were felled after complaints that they were becoming a health hazard despite widespread protests that their disappearance would ruin the appearance of the area and there was also a feeling that the trees were being removed for gain rather than to ensure public safety.
The widespread disquiet in the town was voiced by the local correspondent of the Stamford Mercury, then J J Davies, headmaster of the Boys' Council or Board School, now the Abbey Road Primary School. On 28th December 1891, he wrote: "The threatened destruction or spoliation of the splendid avenue of ancient elms which, forming the northern boundary of the Abbey Lawn, renders the scenery so picturesque, must be averted. A rumour is current that several of these fine trees have been earmarked, and their cubic dimensions calculated, with a view to their sale. The reason alleged for the destruction of the trees is said to be that, by shading the entire length of the Star Lane, they render it damp. Instead of removing the trees, what is required is that a proper footpath should be made beneath the trees with a gully for drainage."
The protests fell on deaf ears and the trees were cut down. J J Davies reported in the Stamford Mercury on 1st January 1892: "My protest against the demolition of the fine avenue of elms bordering the Abbey Lawn has had no effect. The trees are being merrily felled. Picturesqueness has been sacrificed to profit. The cottages opposite will now be favoured with a better view of the railway line and the stone cairns saved from temporary destruction. It would have been a pity to have removed these for the sake of a few old trees. At the same time, it is a still greater pity that a few picturesque features still remaining to redeem the miserable monotony of the fens cannot be preserved. I suppose there will still be an outcry that the tower of the Abbey Church blocks the light from some stable window. If the complaint is made, one thing is pretty certain: the stable must remain intact."
The eventual fate of the cairns is not known for certain but many such stones survive in Bourne, some in Baldock's Mill, some in the grounds of Bourne House in West Street where they have been converted into seats, and others in private gardens around the town.