BOURNE IN PAST TIMES

A series of archive photographs

TEXT BY REX NEEDLE

 

North Street in 1935

Photographed in 1935

Parking has become a major problem in Bourne whereas eighty years ago such difficulties had only just begun to surface. The main street through Bourne in 1935 was a quiet and peaceful thoroughfare with just a few cars on the road although there was an ominous indication of things to come with the first “No parking” notice attached to the gas lamp on the left, a warning that even then some drivers appeared to ignore.
The population of Bourne at that time was 4,889 (1931 census) and the entire street had a quiet and unhurried air, unlike today when it is jammed with vehicles at all hours of the day and parking restrictions everywhere yet surprisingly this road remains the main A15 through Bourne with little hope of traffic flows being alleviated by a north-south bypass.
Telegraph poles lined the pavement carrying phone wires to the shops, the new form of communication having reached the town in 1878 and had by now become a vital part of business life. The former police station which can be seen between Wake House and the corner of North Street and Burghley Street was in use until 1960 when it was replaced by a new headquarters in West Street and the old premises demolished to make way for a block of eight council maisonettes for the elderly which opened in 1987.

This feature was also published by The Local newspaper on 10th February 2017.

Return to Main index