IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Bryony Gardens, BOURNE, PE10 9TE

The front gardens along Mill Drove were planted with a variety of trees and shrubs when the estate was developed forty years ago and in one of them is a magnificent magnolia that flowers each year to provide a glorious welcome for passers-by, an ancient species that originated in the Caribbean and now gives delight to all in many of our suburban streets on sunny days in spring.

The more established residential developments at Bourne built some forty years ago were enhanced by the planting of many trees of assorted species and it is impossible to pass this spot at the junction of Queen's Road and Mill Drove on a sunny day in May without stopping to admire the laburnum which adorns this corner. The yellow flowers gave us the old poetic name of the golden chain tree but they are now less popular for public places today because all parts of the tree including the seeds are poisonous.

A Royal Mail box was uprooted in North Road shortly before Christmas in 2004, a particularly regrettable occurrence because it was put there to serve the nearby housing estate and was particularly necessary at that time of the year when the volume of mail was much heavier than usual. Ten trees along the grass verge were also destroyed and estate agents' signs smashed. See also Image

The land either side of North Road was mainly fields until developed as new homes for the more affluent middle class families during the early years of the 20th century and these substantial properties remain highly sought after today, such as No 103, also known as Woodland Lodge, where evacuee families were welcomed during the Second World War.

One of the most desirable residential areas in Bourne is Mill Drove, an ancient way now filled with large houses on either side with a new estate to the north east that has sprung up in recent years. Property prices here are among the highest in the town and the reason why can be seen in springtime when the many trees that were planted are coming into bloom to present the district at its best.

One of the post-war estates with a mix of highly sought after homes is Stephenson Way, built to the east of the town in the 1970s and named after George Stephenson of railway fame because the old Bourne to Sleaford line ran through part of the land eaten up by the development.

A small estate of Parker Houses built on former farm land adjacent to Mill Drove