Bourne Old Town Hall blog is launched

The renovation of a former fire station and courthouse is being documented in a blog.

Work to turn The Old Town Hall in Bourne into a community arts venue began in early 2019 with the transformation of the ground floor, known as the Shambles, from a 1990s office into a bar venue.

Now thanks to National Lottery Heritage Fund money, a new phase of development has begun at the building, which dates from 1821 and overlooks the junction of North Street, South Street and West Street.

The plan is to turn the upper floor into a theatre space for cinema screenings and performances, with retractable tiered seating.

To ensure this is carried out in the correct way, last month investigative work was carried out to look at the original foundations, beams and walls.

Photos and details can be found on the blog https://bournetownhall.wixsite.com/blog, which is written by Bourne Old Town Hall trustee Jane Gabbutt.

In one post she says: “Floors are being dug up, plasterboard is being removed and ceilings are being moved with the aim of discovering the original foundations, beams and walls.

“Our expert architectural and archaeological consultants will be reviewing and analysing the uncovered parts of the building to inform the restoration and construction work.”

A small area of floor in the Shambles was lifted and concrete laid about 30 years ago was dug through to review the condition of the building’s foundations.

Sections of the false ceiling were set to one side to expose and assess the original wooden beams.

Upstairs, the area used as a magistrates’ court until 2008 has also had the ceiling stripped back to reveal beams and the vaulted ceiling.

Although there is ‘no definitive evidence’, Jane writes, it is suspected visible damage to the building happened in 1933 when the clocktower it then had caught alight and the firefighters - based on the ground floor - hosed water onto the building. The clocktower couldn’t be saved and was not rebuilt.

Jane said the blog has been launched to keep supporters and visitors informed, especially during times when the building will have to be completely closed for work.

“We didn’t want to ‘go quiet’ - we want to keep people in the loop of what’s happening behind the scenes and this is where the idea for the blog came from.

“We’ll show the successes and the things that perhaps don’t go so smoothly. It’s all interesting for people to know.”

In addition to the structural analysis that is going on and the construction phase that will follow, The Old Town Hall Heritage Research Project will get underway, with volunteers encouraged to look into the history of the hall and the stories that accompany this.

“There were 125 people who subscribed 200 years ago to give money to fund the hall and each of their names is recorded on a board,” said Jane.

“The project will involve researching those names to find their stories and members of their families who are alive today.

“Another aspect we will look at is the court cases held there many years ago. Some of those convicted were sentenced to transportation, so it will be interesting to find out more about them.”

People can subscribe to the blog by visiting the page at https://bournetownhall.wixsite.com/blog.

They can also contact Jane about the project by emailing blog@bournetownhall.org.uk