South Street
Red Hall
Let us begin our Castle Stone Trail
Our first stop as at the Red Hall - One could be forgiven for thinking that this building has nothing to do with Bourne Castle, after all the Red Hall is named after the colour of its bricks. However, if one was to draw their eyes downwards to the foundation of the building a whole new aspect emerges.
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It would appear that the foundation of the Red Hall is built on stone. Could this stone have come from Bourne castle, after all the land was once owned by the Marquis of Exeter?
Baldock's Mill
Baldocks mill - This mill is within the borderline of the land once owned by the Marquis of Exeter, Lord of the manor. It would appear that a mill has stood near this site since the domesday book. The present Baldock’s mill subsequently is believed to be just over two hundred years old. It is extremely probable that the building was constructed using the stones from the castle nearby.
Old Vicarage Wall
Brook Lodge Boundary Wall - At first glance this red brick wall seems like an ordinary boundary wall.
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The stone which the red brick sits on could possibly be from the castle. It has a striking resemblance to the stone at the shippon barn.
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This wall may have been rebuilt in around c1825 as the curve appears on the Abbots 1825 map.
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The Exeter's map shows this boundary was more of a right angle on his 1825 map.
Bourne Eau House
Bourne Eau House - A lovely Victorian house set back in a secluded spot - This particular view is just a small part of the house, but what can be seen from here is its stone foundation.
Wherry's Corn Warehouse
Wherry’s Corn Warehouse - Again, these buildings, with its rich red bricks, would not cross one’s mind that there could be any vestiges of the castle to be found. But, again, we need to draw our eyes downwards to the foundation of the building. This is where we see the yellow, grey stone which resembles the Barnack stone. It would seem that back in the day it was standard practise to use stone as the foundation course for Victorian buildings as you will discover further along the trail.
Memorial Bridge
The War Memorial Bridge - It’s very difficult to ascertain whether these stones here were ever part of the castle. All the other buildings which you will see on the trail have been around for a couple of hundred years. This particular bridge was built in the 1950’. This was at the same time the War Memorial had been constructed. It would seem then that these particular stones were unlikely to have come from the castle. It would be interesting to find out where these stones were taken from.
Hidden Stones
The War Memorial Bridge - It’s very difficult to ascertain whether these stones here were ever part of the castle. All the other buildings which you will see on the trail have been around for a couple of hundred years. This particular bridge was built in the 1950’. This was at the same time the War Memorial had been constructed. It would seem then that these particular stones were unlikely to have come from the castle. It would be interesting to find out where these stones were taken from.
Wellhead Bridge
The Well Head Bridge - This bridge is a lot older than the War memorial bridge and was used to access the Well Head in past times. Could these stones be from the original castle?
Old Riverside Studio
Foundations of Ashby Swifts Photographic Studio - Here we have the foundation of the Swift Studios. It would appear that the building was also built on stone foundation, which can be seen in some early photographs. The shape of the building can still be seen here, but what is interesting is that the building protrudes almost halfway into the waterway.
Question one. Why would anyone build halfway into the waterway? Would it not have been easier to build on the solid land further back?
Question two. Was there another building previous to the one in the photograph?
Question three. Could this anomaly have been the gatehouse/porter's lodge to the castle?
If this area was the original gatehouse/porter's lodge (I'm certain there had been many more entrances into the outer Bailey), it would explain why the building protrudes into the waterway, as it has been known for gatehouses to sit partially within the moat.
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Or, could there be another explanation? Could the waterway have moved westwards slightly. Maps have shown this area of the moat was far larger than we see today
Wellhead Mill Stone
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Masons Arms
The Masons Arms – Another building that can sometimes be overlooked is this old public house on South Street. Again, it is situated on the Marquess of Exeters land. Anything that was owned by the Marquess has a higher possibility of being old castle stone.
Stone House
Stone House – Opposite the Masons Arms is this delightful little building, appropriately called 'Stone House'.
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The opening to its left would have been an old road leading into East Street (Star Lane/Abbey Road)
