Bourne’s railway heritage celebrated on information board at housing development

Bourne’s Mayor Cllr Paul Fellows has welcomed the installation of a public information board celebrating the town’s rich railway heritage at a new Bellway housing development.

Bourne Town Mayor Cllr Paul Fellows and Mayoress Judith Fellows inspect the display board about Bridge 234 and Bourne’s rich railway heritage at Bellway’s Abbey View development with Graeme Parrott, manager of Elsea Park Community Trust. | Bellway

placeholder image — Bourne Town Mayor Cllr Paul Fellows and Mayoress Judith Fellows inspect the display board about Bridge 234 and Bourne’s rich railway heritage at Bellway’s Abbey View development with Graeme Parrott, manager of Elsea Park Community Trust. | Bellway

The display board, created in conjunction with the Bourne History Group, is located within the public piazza of Bellway’s Abbey View development off Newton Abbot Way.

It is located on the site where the former Bridge 234, part of the old Bourne to Saxby railway line, once stood. The derelict bridge was pulled down due to its poor structural condition in 2022 after planning permission was granted for its demolition and the creation of a landscaped area.

Graeme Parrott from Elsea Park Community Trust shows where stones from the bridge have been repurposed within the public plaza. | Bellway

Staffordshire blue bricks and limestone blocks from the former railway bridge were saved and repurposed within the public piazza. Other elements of the new open space reflect the theme of railways, including a wooden train in the children’s playground.

Cllr Fellows, along with Graeme Parrott and Michael Marren from Elsea Park Community Trust, visited the site on Friday 11 September.

Cllr Fellows said: “The railway was vital in forming communication routes from this part of the East Midlands to the rest of the country.

“Bridge 234 stood as one of the last remaining testaments in Bourne to the network that developed both Bourne and the nation as a whole. It is absolutely appropriate that its existence is recognised in our newest and most significant community development.

From left, Elsea Park Community Trust manager Graeme Parrott, Cllr Paul Fellows, Mayoress Judith Fellows, Bellway sales advisor Chris Close, chairman of Elsea Park Community Trust Michael Marren and his wife Gail Marren. | Bellway

“The bridge’s footprint, marked with some of its own stones, is a brilliant way to mark its existence with an information board telling its story, with all of this reflected in the children’s play park equipment.”

The display includes a host of fascinating facts about the history of the railways in the area and tells how Bridge 234 was, in effect, the gateway to the town after being built in 1893 when the Bourne to Saxby line was opened. It documents how between 1860 and 1951, Bourne was a busy four-way rail junction which facilitated the export of local artesian water, cress and grain.

The board was commissioned by Bellway with Bourne History Group, whose members include experts in local and railway history, working on the project. Heritage Railway Magazine was also consulted during the process.

Steve Smith, Sales Director for Bellway East Midlands, said: “This information board pays homage to Bridge 234 and the town’s proud railway heritage. It was a pleasure to work with the Bourne History Group and a heritage consultant to produce the board, which will give visitors the opportunity to learn more about the important role of the railways in the development of the town.

“The open space has been open to the general public since December 2023 and has transformed the area where Bridge 234 once stood. The preserved and reused bricks from the former bridge also serve as a permanent reminder of the presence of the locally famous structure and its influence on the town.”