Happy memories as Louth vet's surgery starts new chapter of near-100-year history
A vet’s surgery in Louth has started a new chapter in its long and rich history, which spans almost 100 years.
For James Street Veterinary Centre has finally vacated an old building it has occupied since 1929 and moved to a new and modern site at the Bett Business Centre on Bolingbroke Road.
The practice is to retain its James Street name in a nod to its remarkable history, which has a distinct ‘All Creatures Great And Small’ ring to it.
It began 97 years ago when veterinary surgeon Arthur Adams bought Ivy House in James Street for exactly £1.000 and used some of the outbuildings for his work.
After the Second World War, Bob Callum joined Arthur in partnership and Barry Stocks also became involved as an assistant in 1954.
Bob bought one of the outbuildings (and a vegetable patch!) from Arthur in 1968 and added to it with a single-storey extension soon afterwards. The footprint of the building remains the same to this day.
The building was designed for domestic pets and farm animals, including horses, and boasted animal theatres, kennels and two consulting rooms. Callum and Stocks became the only such business in Lincolnshire to gain veterinary hospital status.
Andrew Cook joined the practice as an assistant in 1979 and went into partnership with Bob and Barry a few years later. He takes up the rest of the story:
"Shortly after, Nick Timson became part of the team and the building was purchased from Bob Callum in 1989.
"It was extensively refurbished in 1995/96 and converted into a small animal centre because farm animal operations had moved off site.
"There had been minor alterations prior to this but now the building had three consulting rooms, a surgical suite with prep room and operating theatre, and separate dog and cat kennels.
“I remained a partner until 2009 when Alistair and Sophie Bett purchased the business, later focusing on domestic pets by discontinuing farm and horse services. Sophie had come to us as an assistant straight from graduating.
"Limited space and parking issues have now led to relocating to a much larger facility on the industrial estate to continue the practice.”
Andrew, who is now 71 and lives on London Road in Louth, worked for the practice until September 2023. Not surprisingly, he has a host of treasured memories of James Street and looks back on his 44 years there with much pride.
He says: “Over all these years, there have been major changes to veterinary surgery, too vast to describe. But the goal has always been the same -- to prevent and cure illness in all classes of animal.
"On the farm side, we have seen tuberculosis nearly eradicated in the 1970s but come back with a vengeance since, brucellosis cleared completely, BSE or ‘mad cow disease’ in the 1990s and foot and mouth in the early 2000s.
"Some of these diseases could infect humans, so the importance of the control programmes cannot be overestimated.
"Parvovirus emerged among domestic dogs in the late 1970s, causing a devastating illness that primarily affected young puppies. This has now been contained by a programme of vaccinations, showing how important vaccination is. I would never want to see this disease rear its ugly head again.”
Andrew also recalls how the way the business is run has progressed over the years, thanks to technological advances.
He says: “When I started, we had only landline phones and had to live in Louth to take out-of-hours calls at home, sometimes running down the garden to get to the phone by the back door!
"During nights and weekends, wives or husbands had to take the phone if you were out on a call. On your rounds, you used phone boxes to call in, only to find you had just passed a new call on the way home!
"Then came bleepers that told you to find a phone and call in. Then mobile phones the size and weight of several bricks! And then finally pocket mobile phones. What freedom!
"As I look back, I must pass on a general thankyou to all staff and partners over the 97 years for all their hard work and commitment.”
Now James Street Veterinary Centre is looking forward to celebrating its centenary in the new premises.
A spokesperson for the business said: “We are extremely excited to have moved to our very own bespoke practice on Louth Industrial Estate.
“Rest assured, we’re still an independent practice and your pets will receive the same high-quality care that has kept the surgery thriving for so long – but from a bigger and better building (with a lot more parking spaces!)
Here’s to the next 100 years!