Bourne Civic Society

The Civic Society

Baldock's Mill, pictured from the Bourne Eau at the rear where visitors walking this footpath can hear the water rushing through the mill race

The Civic Society in Bourne makes its presence felt over so many controversial local issues concerning the town's future that we tend to believe it to be an old established organisation but that is not so. It began at a public meeting at the Red Hall in 1977, inspired by Mr Rod Hoyle, art master at Bourne Grammar School, when a steering committee was set up and the following year, a second such meeting approved a constitution to promote high standards of town planning.

The impetus for the society's formation was to save No 15 Bedehouse Bank from demolition, a mediaeval thatched cottage made from the mud and stud method and one of the last surviving examples of its kind in Lincolnshire, and so the property was unique to Bourne where it had been in continuous use for more than 250 years. The dwelling was known as Miss Adams' cottage, after the last tenant who had died, when it was condemned by the local authority as being unfit for human habitation and had been put up for sale as a redevelopment site but the owners failed to find a buyer.

Experts insisted that it was sufficiently rare to be preserved, perhaps as a museum, but costs were said to be prohibitive and the owners sought permission to pull it down. Although it was a listed building, the cottage was demolished in 1980 after a public inquiry when objections by the Civic Society, the Ancient Monuments Society and other conservation organisations, were overruled.

Despite the failure of this campaign, the joint endeavour sparked an appreciation of the richness of the urban environment and the society vowed to help enhance our old buildings, through persuasion and criticism, to plant and landscape unattractive areas and so preserve the heritage of the town. The society invited the Earl of Ancaster to be their president and he continued in office until his death in March 1983 when he was succeeded by his daughter, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, who remains in office today. The inaugural meeting also voted to produce a regular newsletter and to bring guest speakers to the town to talk on environmental issues and both of these objectives have been achieved in the years since.

Miss Adams' cottage in Bedehouse Bank, Bourne

The society's greatest accomplishment however has been in persuading Bourne United Charities to grant them a lease of Baldock's Mill, an early 19th century water mill in South Street, for refurbishment as a Heritage Centre and museum and that too has been achieved during 20 years of fund-raising and dedicated voluntary work by society members. Restoration work began in 1983 and the centre opened in 1999. The features include many artefacts, maps and documents from Bourne's past and a large display of photographs and mementoes from the career of Raymond Mays, the motor racing pioneer who lived in the town.

Their latest project for the town is a new booklet that has been produced for the benefit of visitors and for those who live here but would like to familiarise themselves with our surroundings. The booklet entitled Walks Around Bourne has been produced in co-operation with the Town Centre Management Partnership and South Kesteven District Council, superseding the previous edition published in 1984. The new version has not only been updated but also has the benefit of a larger format, colour photographs and a useful map of the town centre with an indexed key in case you lose your way.

The walks are presented in three stages from St Peter's Pool in the Wellhead Gardens and then around the town taking in our natural resources, the site of the first industries, the road and rail influence and finally returning to the Red Hall, one of our oldest domestic buildings. On the way you can see most of the interesting places that Bourne has to offer and the walk at a relaxed pace will take about 1½ hours. The Civic Society's new booklet can be obtained free from the Heritage Centre at Baldock's Mill.

The society's first life member was appointed at the 24th annual general meeting in March 2002. He is Dr Michael McGregor who was presented with a framed certificate by the president, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, in recognition of his continued practical support and financial contributions from the sale of two books he has produced on local topics, one on the life and times of Raymond Mays and another showing historic photographs of the town.

Membership of the society has not increased in recent years and in her message to the meeting, the president urged officials to recruit more to their ranks and to support the Heritage Centre that has given the town a central focus on its past history. She added: "The Civic Society is an important organisation in Bourne and given the rate of growth for the town, it is important that new members should come forward. More attention must be paid to long term development and improvement and the society and its members should resolve to get their voice heard. It will make all the difference. We should aim to increase membership to at least 100 during the Queen's Golden Jubilee year".

Photo: Courtesy Don Fisher
Rod Hoyle, the prime mover of the Bourne Civic Society (extreme left), pictured
at a coffee morning at Eastgate House on 21st June 1980. With him are (left to
right) the chairman Mr Robert Paddison, the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor
George Houghton, Mr E H Coy, a trustee of the Raymond Mays estate,
and Councillor Don Fisher, the vice-chairman.

The Earl of Ancaster

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