St Peter's Hospital

The original workhouse in Bourne was situated in North Street near the junction of what is now Burghley Street which was then known as Workhouse Road. It was erected in 1654 with £100 donated by Sir Thomas Trollope. By the early 19th century, a more spacious building was required and this was built at the end of St Peter's Road and was eventually re-modelled and extended for use as St Peter's Hospital. The building was completed in 1836 at a cost of £5,350, and was designed by Bryan Browning, the architect of Bourne Town Hall who was also responsible for the workhouses at Spalding and Stamford. It had three floors and was intended to accommodate 300 inmates.

The premises were converted for use as a mental hospital in 1930 with adjoining out-patient clinics and makeshift extensions were added in and around the building and on the front lawns, obliterating the substantial Victorian red brick façade. At this time, it was officially known as the Bourne Public Assistance Institution and was also referred to as Wellhead House but subsequently became St Peter's Hospital for mentally handicapped women and children, governed by the Sheffield Regional Board. By 1965, improvements to staff and facilities had made it one of the most modern hospitals of its kind in the country with a matron and six nursing sisters, 12 daytime and seven night time nurses, a male charge nurse for night time duty and five cadet or trainee nurses.

This facility was slowly run down during the late 20th century and patients moved out under the government's policy of care in the community and although the buildings stood empty for several years, the entire complex was taken over in 1999 by Warners Midlands plc, the printing firm that owns the adjoining premises, for an expansion of their business interests and was demolished in 2001. 

The company subsequently lodged plans with South Kesteven District Council in the summer of 2002 to build a new single storey press hall and bindery on the site and containing two new web offset printing presses, a total investment of more than £6 million. Bourne Town Council expressed fears that the new development would intrude on the Wellhead Park complex which was next door but assurances have been given that the buildings would be no higher than the existing six-foot high hedge that skirts the company's premises and so would not impact on the setting.

See also The workhouse     Warners Midlands plc

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