Bourne in 1950

North Street in 1950

THERE WAS little change in the appearance of Bourne between the wars of the 20th century and even by 1950, the town looked much the same as it had done twenty years before except that the motor car was now becoming a more familiar sight.

Gas lamps were still used to light the streets and telegraph poles lined North Street, carrying the overhead lines between Peterborough and Lincoln. The proliferation of road signs and street markings to regulate vehicles however was still many years away and there were no traffic lights in the town centre.

Both North Street (above) and West Street (below) still had an unhurried air with little indication of the dramatic changes that were to come before the century closed. These two photographs, taken from postcard views published by Valentine and Sons Ltd, both date from circa 1950 and were taken on the same day, giving an indication that Bourne was still a quiet and charming market town where very little happened.

West Street in 1950

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