The Wellhead Gardens

One of the most attractive places in Bourne is the Wellhead Gardens, just a short step from the town centre but a place of peace and tranquillity favoured by walkers and office workers enjoying a sandwich lunch.

The 21 acres of meadow were developed in the years following the Second World War as parkland open to the public under the terms of a bequest from Alderman Thomas Whyment Atkinson who left property at Haconby to the trustees to provide income for this purpose, together with the Garden of Remembrance and War Memorial. A notice at the entrance states: "These private grounds are made available to the public by the Trustees of the Bourne United Charities. The Trustees invite the co-operation of all who enter the grounds to keep them in a clean and tidy condition so as to preserve the environmental qualities for the benefit of all. In the interests of safety, the Trustees do not allow the playing or practising of golf on any of these grounds. No responsibility can be accepted by the Trustees for any injuries caused by anyone disregarding this notice."

The public gardens are a particular delight when the cherry blossom makes its appearance. White and pink flowering cherry trees that line the main path form a colourful avenue for visitors and many walk the path and then, enchanted by the sight, retrace their steps to take another look. Towards the end of April, the petals fall and float down from the branches like snowflakes in winter, a reminder of the fable of an Icelandic princess who married a Portuguese prince and went to live in his country but missed the sight of falling snow and so he planted an avenue of cherry trees to please her because each year when their blossoms fell, they would simulate the scene she knew so well. 

Another avenue in the park, to the north east and leading to West Street, is lined with horse chestnut trees that bloom with a mass of red candles during May. This tree is a hybrid between our own native horse chestnut and the American red buckeye and is widely planted throughout Britain as an ornamental species and reaches a height in excess of 60 feet and is a favourite for planting in public gardens and alongside roads.

The graceful weeping willows (Salix x 'Chrysocoma') are among the most characteristic of our English landscape, especially near water where they can grow to heights of 65 feet. They can however, choke drains, dry out the surrounding area and even threaten the foundations of buildings if planted in suburban gardens but here on the river bank in a public park, the damp soil provides the perfect environment where their long and slender yellow branches covered with brilliant green leaves cascade over the water, providing a colourful display in springtime and hanging like silken drapes gently brushing on the surface.

One of the most attractive seasons in the Wellhead Gardens is autumn when the leaves fall and strew the grass beneath with a rainbow of russet shades, of gold and brown, dark red and yellow, and provide a reminder that the cold and the snow of winter is not far away.

Winter in the Wellhead Gardens can be equally attractive even though this is the time of year when the days are at their shortest and coldest, when there is little colour in the countryside and few signs of life from the animals that inhabit this place unless we have a layer of snow to reveal their tracks. Our trees, however, are conspicuous in winter, often more so than in summer, because visibility is less obscured by leaves and so their identification from silhouettes, bark or twigs can be a fascinating pastime. The flowering cherries stand stark against the grey January sky but we must remember the glorious colour their white and pink blossom will produce come April. 

Before the land was turned into a park, it was known as the Wellhead Field and was frequently used by the town on public occasions. When the Crimean War ended during the 19th century, Bourne celebrated the restoration of peace on Thursday 29th May 1856 by the suspension of all public business at midday and then after the men were given a dinner and a quart of ale and the women a high tea in the market place, there was a procession to the Wellhead Field for sports and a distribution of buns to children followed by a fireworks display from 9.30 pm to 11 pm.

The old stone property that can be found in the park, nestling behind high hedges, dates back to the 18th century and was formerly part of the Castle Farm, built in the local style with a Collyweston slate roof and rubble and limestone walls. It is now owned by Bourne United Charities and rented as a private home to suitable tenants and is known appropriately as the Wellhead Cottage. Its aspect presents such a peaceful scene that it is difficult to believe the hustle and bustle of the town centre is just a few paces away. 

Grassy mounds in the park also remind us that this place contains the earliest traces of a settlement in Bourne and may have been the site of successive Saxon and Norman fortifications and the Shippon Barn nearby is reputed to have been constructed from the remains of the last old castle and is now used by the guide and scout organisations. 

A short distance from the South Street entrance to the gardens is an old iron-rimmed millstone embedded in the earth as a reminder of the six water mills that once operated along the Bourne Eau and are mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Three survived until recent times but only one still stands, Baldock's Mill on the very edge of the Wellhead Gardens, although this millstone is most likely to have come from one of the other two, either Notley's or Cliffe's Mill, now both demolished.

Wellhead millstone feature.

 

Wellhead Field play area.

 

The Wellhead Field which borders Manor Lane has become the traditional venue for local activities, notably the celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II during the summer of 2002. Also during that year, a dream finally became a reality for a group of Bourne residents who had been working hard to open a play park for children under the age of six. The Playwell Committee spent three years on the task of raising the £32,000 needed for the project which was officially opened in May 2002. The money came from fund raising events such as craft fairs and car boot sales and was supplemented by grants from the local authorities, but it would not have materialised without the persistence of committee chairman Mrs Theresa Dimbleby who began the campaign and was appropriately asked to cut the ribbon at the opening. The park offers youngsters a fenced space to play within the existing park area and is equipped with a variety of attractions including a slide, a climb, cradle swings, playhouse, picnic benches and seating for the mums and dads who come along.

 

TREES TOPPLED BY GALES

 

 

High winds during January 2001 removed some familiar landmarks from the Wellhead Gardens. Two willow trees that have been standing for half a century were rent asunder by a southerly gale and thirteen others were badly damaged. 

One of the trees beside St Peter's Pool was a particular loss because it was the largest to be seen on the skyline by visitors entering the park from South Street and was planted soon after the Second World War.

It was subseqently sawn into logs by park staff and given away as firewood although willow spits when burned and is therefore more suitable for wood burning stoves rather than open fires. 

The second tree stood on the banks of the Bourne Eau near to its source and was equally ancient but the damage it sustained demonstrated the strength of the gale because its massive trunk was split down the middle and its main branches toppled. 

The loss of favourite trees from a familiar landscape is a poignant reminder of the forces of nature which, at their most extreme, can do just as much damage as man unchecked. We must therefore be forever vigilant about what we have left and think twice before we even trample a blade of grass. 

REVISED MARCH 2003

See also     Bourne Castle     The War Memorial     The Shippon Barn

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