The Bourne identity: 20 shots of a market town in metamorphosis
Lincolnshire landmark symbolises a nation under change, from Formula One to factory life.
In this charming, occasionally eccentric 1975 educational film, presenter David Stewart and a group of geography students decamp to the Lincolnshire market town of Bourne to study its urban landscape.
1. Welcome to 70s Bourne, in all its gently bustling glory.
2. Geography students are charged with the task of conducting a traffic count. “Here comes a car, and another car, and another car. And a motorbike, and a van, and a heavy lorry.”
3. The town is also a route centre – main roads in all directions converge on the old market place. This is most likely one of the reasons a settlement sprung up here in the first place.
4. Bourne parish church stands as evidence that the town’s history dates back at least as far as Norman times.
5. The name ‘Bourne’ means ‘stream’ in Anglo-Saxon. An engineer from the local water board stops by to discuss St Peter’s Pool, the source of the stream that runs through town.
6. Our youngsters’ next task is to investigate how Bourne’s historical buildings have been repurposed for modern uses.
7. This handsome townhouse enjoys a new lease of life as a bank.
8. A fine example of a home for the wealthy. In quieter days gone by, it was desirable to have a house fronting a main road.
9. Back then, the poor had to be content with the kind of dwelling you’d struggle to find for under £1 million in London these days.
10. Bourne market has served as a major draw to the town for centuries.
11. Our student sleuths interrogate unsuspecting locals about their personal affairs.
12. Now it’s time for a tour of local businesses, starting with this tranquil nursery.
13. Onwards to Doxams LTD, plastic moulders specialising in slightly creepy kids’ toys.
14. Assembling said toys is highly skilled work, requiring a steady hand and meticulous attention to detail.
15. BRM was a Bourne-based Formula One team, which participated between 1950 and 1977, winning a total of 17 Grands Prix.
16. At the time of filming, BRM produced the only all-British cars to compete in the championship.
17. Every aspect of car development was handled in this one small factory, from the first conceptual drawings onwards.
18. Finally, we visit a small iron foundry, established by a local entrepreneur.
19. The team here fashions pig iron into tractor weights and other agricultural equipment.
20 A beret-clad worker waits for a casting to cool.
The film and stills on this page are taken from Britain on Film, a digital archive of UK places that mean the world to you. 10,000 film and TV titles from 1895 to now will be digitised and can be watched for free on BFI Player.
Britain on Film is funded by the National Lottery funding and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
