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This narrow and winding thoroughfare just off the town centre behind North Street contains an eclectic mix of properties that include cottages and council houses, commercial premises, a church, two clubs and a car park and a quaint little private house called Hedgehog Corner. But it is also dangerous as heavy vehicles daily compete for passing space with cars, making it extremely hazardous for pedestrians, a constant reminder that it should long ago have been designated a one-way street. Burghley Street was named after William Cecil, the Elizabethan statesman who was born in the town in 1520 and who later became the first Lord Burghley and the seven cottages here are known as Exeter Row, perpetuating the name of his descendant, the Marquess of Exeter, who was Lord of the Manor of Bourne when they were built in the 19th century. These terraced cottages occupy one of the most prominent positions in Bourne and the white frontage gives these small homes a distinguished appearance on a sunny day.
Red brick council houses can be found in many parts of Bourne because they were built by the local authorities during the housing shortages of the past 100 years on any available plot of land to provide accommodation for the less well off. Generations of the same family have been born and brought up here and still call them home and they survive as part of the nation's housing stock with many useful years ahead. The ten homes in this terrace overlooking the public car park in Burghley Street are the nearest council houses to the town centre and some of these "three up and two down" have become so loved by their tenants that they have bought them and are now proud owners. |
