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Delve into the past of Stamford, Rutland, Bourne and The Deepings with Mercury Memories




10 years ago

Hundreds more new homes will be built in Stamford and the Deepings under development plans approved by council chiefs.

A 70-acre site between Tinwell Road and Empingham Road, Stamford, is the biggest of six sites chosen for new homes by South Kesteven District Council on Monday.

Councillors also picked four housing sites in the Deepings, along with one for employment land, to form the core strategy for development until 2026.

50 years ago: August 6, 1971 – Contestants in the junior swimming gala held at RAF Wittering.
50 years ago: August 6, 1971 – Contestants in the junior swimming gala held at RAF Wittering.

But they rejected a suggested development of 1,500 homes at Newstead, on the outskirts of Stamford, and plans for 400 properties on former brickworks land off Little Casterton Road.

Since 2006, 380 homes have been built in Stamford and a further 170 had planning permission on March 31.

Land has now been allocated for 580 new homes in the town.

25 years ago: August 3, 1996 – Youngsters say a fond farewell to the Bluecoat Nursery in Stamford
25 years ago: August 3, 1996 – Youngsters say a fond farewell to the Bluecoat Nursery in Stamford

The core strategy requires that land for 870 homes in the Deepings be chosen between 2006 and 2026, and with 270 already built and 195 more having planning permission the chosen sites will supply all the housing for the area.

The core strategy requires land for 1,140 houses to be allocated in Stamford between 2006 and 2026 and there are few”infill” sites available.

A valuable antique has been stolen from Burghley House.

The Victorian letterbox was taken early last month.

It had been on display for more than 20 years before it was discovered missing on July 8 but police only revealed details on Wednesday this week.

The 19in box dated from about 1850 and has an octagonal design with moulded top. It features an intaglio impression of a Marquess’ coronet, a type of small crown.

Intaglio is a method of printing on copper or zinc plates.

The box was bought by the 2nd Marquess of Exeter for use by the household and has been part of the collection for almost 200 years.

House director Miranda Rock said: “The loss of this lovely letterbox is very distressing.

“It has huge historic value as part of the treasured collections at Burghley House.”

The value of the letterbox has not been revealed.

Landlords are working hard to attract customers to pubs and restaurants in Stamford.

The new publicans at The Drum and Monkey are creating a restaurant while a major refurbishment project continues at The London Inn to create a thriving town centre pub.

A property investor is also preparing to open a cabaret bar at the former Quayhole Kates building within the next six weeks.

Mark Bryan has taken over The Drum and Monkey in Casterton Road with his partner Sarah Lount.

He said: “We want to keep it as a good social pub with lots of interaction with customers.”

Sarah added: “We just want to make it a friendly place for people to come.”

Building work to create a kitchen and restaurant should be finished by the end of the month in time for an official launch night in September.

A spokesman for Enterprise Inns, which owns the pub, said: “The pub is open for business as usual while we work with the publicans to improve the appearance of the pub and provide a quality food offering.

25 years ago

Burghley House custodian Lady Victoria Leatham has ended her association with the Stamford Bypass Group.

The formation of a town transport forum to look into the bypass question led her to make the decision with “much regret,” she said in a letter to group chairman Bryan Lee.

“I cannot therefore, see that there is a role for a local bypass group as such any more. It is appropriate at this time for me to cease my involvement,” she added.

Mr Lee said this week: “With regret we accepted her distancing herself from the activities of the group. We thank her for her grace in the past.”

Some leading members, including chairman Tony Jefferis, resigned after a row over an alleged debt to a traffic consultant.

The group reasserted its opposition to the yellow route last month, pledging its commitment to the blue route to the south of Stamford and Burghley Park.

Mr Lee said the group was the only one in the town which had the “technical competence” to understand all the issues surrounding the bypass question.

Nearly 150 jobs with major construction companies such as Tarmac and Taylor Woodrow are being offered to teenagers who want a career in the construction industry.

Young people who are selected will attend two-year training courses which begin in September at the Civil Engineering College at Bircham Newton, near King’s Lynn. The college is administered by the Construction Industry Training Board.

To qualify for possible selection the youngsters should be aged between 16 and 18 and much enjoy the prospect of working outside.

Training is designed for young people who want to start a career in the industry rather than stay on at school to take A-levels.

Courses will involve civil engineering trades such as construction technician, construction operative, scaffolder, plant operator, plant mechanic, steeplejack and lightning conductor engineer.

Up to half of each course involves instruction at the college and the rest is taken up by periods of supervised work experience on site.

The world’s largest Game Fair attracted thousands of visitors to Grimsthorpe at the weekend.

But the feared traffic chaos did not materialise due to excellent work by local police.

This was the first time the prestigious Country Landowners’ Association Game Fair had been held in Lincolnshire since it started in 1958.

According to organisers the three-day event was an enormous success with final attendance figures expected to be close to the 100,000 mark.

For country sport enthusiasts there were gundog displays and competitions, clay shooting competitions, air rifle events, fishing displays plus competitions covering course and game fishing.

Game Fair director Colonel Robin Rees-Webbe said: “We are extremely pleased with how it all went. The weather was right and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

“We won’t know the precise figures, but we expected around the 100,000 mark, give or take a few.

Col Rees-Webbe was full of praise for the way police handled the traffic and crowds.

“Lincolnshire police did a first-class job and the traffic control went extremely well.”

50 years ago

Lack of public support has forced Stamford Indoor Swimming Pool Project to abandon all its money-raising activities.

But chairman, Mr David Wilson, said that the committee would continue to function until all the assets have been disposed of.

The decision to wind up the project was made at a meeting on Monday night. During the three years of its existence, the committee has raised nearly £2,000 and this went towards the installation of a heating system at the swimming pool at the beginning of this season.

Said Mr Wilson: “The committee is now gradually winding up. This is not something that we wanted to do but lack of support has made it necessary.

“The weekly tote is now finished and all that remains is for us to sell off our assets.”

Mr Wilson said that over £100 still remained on the committee’s books but it had not yet been decided what to do with the money.

“A meeting will be called in two weeks’ time when decisions such as this will be made,” he said.

“Really we have been very successful and we have done what we set out to do – getting a heating system installed at the pool. What has been missing is public support.”

South Kesteven Rural Council will tell the 98 residents of Barholm, Greatford and Braceborough, who petitioned against the withdrawl of the Friday afternoon bus service, that the council can see no useful purpose served by making more representation to the bus company.

The decision came after the Clerk (Mr. J. J. C. Goulder) had said that the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co had taken a census of passengers before adjusting or withdrawing the service.

The census showed that the more heavily used journey was in the morning. It was impossible to justify the operation of morning and afternoon buses.

Fifteen passengers normally entered Stamford in the morning and returned at lunchtime, but only half that number had used the afternoon bus.

Coun Walter Preston (Greatford) expressed concern at the reduced service for these villages, and Coun Harold Scarborough (Rippingale) deprecated the continual diminishing of bus services in rural areas.

In perfect weather conditions an estimated 12,000 people attended Rutland Agricultural Society’s 141st annual show at Oakham on Sunday.

Although this figure includes competitors and members of the Society, it is expected that when the balance sheet has been drawn up the actual paid attendance will have exceeded that of last year.

In view of the fact that the switching of the show from Bank Holiday to a Sunday four years ago resulted in a sharp drop in livestock entries, it was particularly encouraging to the show committee this year to find marked increases in entries in almost every section.

Compared with a few years ago, the character of the show has changed and with less emphasis on the purely agricultural side, the committee are following with considerable success, a policy of making it a family day out.

100 years ago

Bank Holiday passed off quietly in Stamford. The only organised local attraction was the match between Burghley Park II, and Peterborough II, but with delightful weather the day long it was an outdoor holiday for everyone and many made the trip to Grimsthorpe Park and other places, where various functions had been arranged for their delectation. Many went to the seaside, and during the week-end no fewer than 300 travelled to Skegness by train and large numbers by road.

Brazenose School – As a result of the submission of 100 papers from this school in connection with the Royal Drawing Society examination, 41 honours were obtained and 52 passes.

Stamfordian’s Academic Success – Mr. L. G. Robinson, B.A., son of Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Robinson, of Claremont, Tinwell-road, Stamford, has been awarded 1st class honours in the Final Honour School of Modern History at Oxford. Mr. Robinson went up from the Grammar School in 1913, as an open classic scholar of New College, and missed a 1st class in classical Moderations in 1915 by the narrowest possible margin. After four years’ absence on military service, he returned to Oxford in 1919, and turned from classics to the study of modern history and economics, in which he has so greatly distinguished himself. Mr. Robinson was appointed a few weeks ago to the lecturing staff of the London School of Economics and Political Science, one of the branches of London University, and will commence his duties there towards the end of September.

Football League – It was reported at the annual meeting of the Stamford and North Northants. Football League on Friday that the balance had had increased from £1 6s. 8d. to £5 7s. 8d. All the officials were re-elected and thanked for their services, and the announcement was made that next season it was anticipated that the Stamford North End (last season’s champions), Stamford Athletic, Rutland Engineering Works, Casterton, Gretton, and Ketton clubs would compete.

Bourn

At a meeting of the Governors of the Secondary School, the Clerk read a letter from the Board of Education notifying that the school had been placed on the list of recognised secondary school from the 1st of August, 1920, the letter also calling attention to conditions which appeared in the scheme. The claim for grant from the date of recognition by the Board of Education was ordered to be forwarded forthwith. One of the conditions of recognition is that the bursars shall be admitted and teachers trained at the school.

Singular Accident – very serious are the results of an accident which befell Mr. Em. Fowler, of Austerby, an employee of Messrs. Godley and Goulding, on Tuesday afternoon. He was in charge of a timber-loading operation in Bourne Wood, when two trees that had been loaded on the drugs rolled off and caught Mr. Fowler, whose head and ankle were seriously injured. He was removed to the Butterfield Hospital, and an examination revealed the fact that his skull had been fractured. He remained unconscious for several hours, and subsequently was only conscious for brief intervals.

150 years ago

The members of the Stamford Rifle Corps, with the band, will attend divine service on Sunday next.

Harvest has commenced in the neighbourhood of Stamford: Mr. Bradshaw, of Tinwell, began cutting oats on Wednesday.

The Banks in Stamford will be closed on Monday next, the first Monday in August being one of the days authorised to be observed as holidays under the Bank Holidays Act, 1871.

It may be convenient to many persons attending Stamford market to learn that the Hotel-yard is temporarily stopped up at the High-street end, and that for the present access to the Hotel premises for vehicles, &c. is by the St. Mary’s-street entrance.

A vestry was held at St. Mary’s church, Stamford, on the 15th ult., to take into consideration an application by the Mayor for permission to place the fire-escape within the rails at the north-west corner of the edifice, the original site proposed near the Portico proving to be insufficient as regards space. Some of the parishioners expressed an opinion that the beauty of the structure would be disfigured by so unsightly an object as the fire-escape being reared against it, and the application was refused.

On Saturday evening a young man named Samuel Ingram, in the employ of Mr. Billsdon, cow-keeper, Water-street, Stamford, fell off a stack of hay and broke his left leg. He was taken to the Infirmary, where the fracture was reduced. On Wednesday a fatal accident befell a lad, about 9 years old, son of Mr. Thos. Barlow, of Scotgate. The boy got upon the pole of a timber-draft to ride, when his legs became entangled in the spokes of one of the wheels, and before the vehicle could be stopped he was frightfully crushed. He was conveyed home to his father’s and Mr. Heward, surgeon, was sent for, but the poor lad died about two hours after the accident.

On Wednesday afternoon a child, son of the late Mr. Moore, cooper, Stamford, whilst playing in the meadows, accidentally tumbled into the river, and would have been drowned but for the praiseworthy conduct of a son of Mr. F. H. Jones, dentist, of Stamford, who plunged into the water with his clothes on and rescued the child.

Stamford Union – The applications for relief at the Board meeting on Wednesday were again very few, and the statistics of the house continue to show a large decrease of inmates. The number at the end of last week was 117, being 64 less than in the corresponding week of last year: the diminuation is principally in class 1 (men and women temporarily disabled and aged and infirm) where there were 20 less, and in class 3 (boys, girls, and infants) where there were 41 less. Vagrants appear to be taking advantage of the warm weather for summer rambles, 45 having sought lodging and food during the last week. The cost of out-relief was £93 17s. 5d., or £2 6s. 10d. more than in the corresponding period of last year. The committee appointed to inspect the testimonials of candidates for the office of schoolmistress reported that there were six applicants, and they left if to to the Board to make a selection. It was unanimously agreed to recommend for election at the next meeting Mrs. Thistleton, whose family is well known to most of the guardians, and who has been for some time schoolmistress at the Uppingham Union.

200 years ago

At Northampton assizes on Wednesday, six actions were brought against George Vander Neunburgh, Esq., one of the inhabitants of the hundred of Nassaburgh, to recover damages for injuries done by a mob in St. Martin’s, Stamford Baron, in November last, (on the discontinuance of the trial of the Queen,) in the breaking of windows, &c. in the houses of Dr. Arnold, the Rev. M. Amphlett, and Messrs. Eaton, Fryer, Cooper and Judd. Verdicts for the Plaintiffs were returned in all the actions, for the full amount of the damages sued for; which will also carry the costs of suit. The whole charge will fall on the rates of the hundred. The Judge (the Hon. Justice Park) observed, that the country was much indebted to the plaintiffs for taking the trouble of putting into execution wholesome laws, which were made for the protection of the peaceable and well-ordered part of
society,

A daring day-light robbery was committed between Apethorpe and Cliffe on Thursday evening the 26th ult. A young woman of Apethorpe, named Sarah Barroway, was stopped on the road a short distance from her father’s house, by a ruffian, who stripped her of part of her clothes, and cut off her pocket, with which he made off. Fortunately the pocket contained only some keys and a thimble; the robber had scarcely left the young woman, when the Rev. Mr. Linton, of Fotheringhay, who happened to be riding near, and who had heard her cries, came up, in time to see the villian make his retreat.

Not withstanding the cheapness of provisions, and the consequent improvement of times for the lowest classes in life, the village of Morton, near Bourn, continues its character for depredations and disorder. On Wednesday se’nnight Messrs Arden and Thompson, of that parish, had a sheep stolen, and on Saturday night last the same parties had five or six couple of fowls stolen from their premises in Morton Fen. Large rewards are offered for discovery of the offenders.

Caution against Profanation of the Sabbath – Those persons who show forth or expose to sale any fruits, gingerbread, confections, or other wares whatsoever, upon the Lord’s day, or any part thereof, are probably not aware that they thereby lay themselves open to the penalty for exercising the business of their ordinary calling on a Sunday; that their whole stock of goods and chattels, so showed forth or put to sale, is liable to be seized and forfeited; and that all and singular such forfeitures and penalties shall be employed and converted to the use of the poor of the parish in which the said offence shall have been committed, saving only that the magistrate, before whom any such offender shall be convicted, has the power of giving, according to his discretion, a part of the value (not exceeding one-third) of the said forfeitures and penalties, as a reward to any person or persons who shall inform of any offence against the Act of Parliament “for the better Observation of the Lord’s Day.”



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