These two views of the pool (above and below) are from an album of photographs of the Bourne area taken by William Redshaw and sold by J T Morris who had shop premises in West Street and dates from circa 1890.

Two views from the church tower by Ashby Swift in 1909 which are among the earliest photographs to exist of St Peter's Pool.

The caption on this
rare postcard photograph
from 1905 says "The stream
from the Wellhead
at Bourne" and is
therefore the Bourne
Eau flowing out
from its source
at St Peter's Pool.
The paved walk alongside
was a popular Sunday
outing at that time
and the gentleman may
even be sailing a model
boat on the
water, a popular
hobby of past times.

Two more views of St Peter's Pool from picture postcards taken by Ashby Swift in 1909 with the workhouse building behind. It is interesting to see how much water there was in the pool at that time.

A postcard view from circa 1910.

Another early photograph of St Peter's Pool from circa 1910.

The water levels along the Bourne Eau and in St Peter's Pool were much higher in the years before these prolific springs were tapped for commercial purposes and now supply a wide catchment area as far as Peterborough. The pool has been a feature of this town since the earliest times and still produces a seemingly unending amount of water from underground springs that is now piped into the public supply system. The result is that the river is often no more than a stream and the pool frequently clogged with algae. The picture above, taken by William Redshaw circa 1910, will give some idea of the scene before extraction began on such a large scale and this and the other views are evidence that this was once a pleasant place for a Sunday afternoon walk.

A postcard view from 1911.

The pool is now surrounded by formalised parkland, the Wellhead Gardens, that were established by Bourne United Charities in the years after the Second World War (1939-45) and which has become one of the town's most valuable amenities. These pictures all show the wooden walkway that was popular with walkers but has long since disappeared.

Photographed by Ashby Swift.

Postcard from 1918 published by William Pearce of Bourne.

Another postcard from the same period.

Postcard view from circa 1920.

Postcard view from 1948 with the old workhouse building behind.

The pool in 1970 with the Wellhead cottage beyond.