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Bourn is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. Surrounding villages include Caxton, Eltisley and Cambourne. It is 8 miles (12 km) from the county town of Cambridge. Ordnance Survey www.getamap.co.uk The population of the parish was 1,015 at the time of the 2011 census.
Bourn has a Church of England primary school, a doctors' surgery, the Church of St Mary & St Helena, a golf club, a former Royal Air Force bomber airfield (RAF Station Bourn 1940–1945), today used for light aircraft, and an old windmill. Bourn Hall Clinic, the centre for infertility treatment founded in 1980 by IVF pioneers Patrick Steptoe and Professor Robert Edwards, who were responsible for the conception in 1978 of Louise Brown, the world's first IVF or test-tube baby, is also located here. Since its foundation the clinic has assisted in the conception of more than 10,000 babies.
A small stream called Bourn Brook runs through the village, eventually joining the River Cam.
Bourn has existed as a settlement for over a thousand years. Roman Britain remains have been found along the Bourn Brook and near Bourn Hall. Evidence of Romano-British activity has been found along the top of the valley on the airfield and in the direction of Caxton. Three tumuli on Alms Hill are of Roman and Danish origin and the two that were excavated in 1909 contained Roman coins and pottery, a button and evidence of Danish feasting commemorating the death of a leader or celebrating a victory around 1010.
The mediaeval village was in a wooded valley and developed along both sides of the Bourn Brook. The farming system of common grazing land and six large fields managed in a three-course rotation lasted until the (49 Geo. 3. c. 38 ). By 1279 there were 183 families and 900 people; the names of fields and families from this time are still known in the area. By the 14th century Bourn's population had dropped to 299 because of factors including the Bubonic plague, high taxes, poor weather, the emergence of the yeoman farmer and the decrease in serfdom.
By the 19th century settlement in Bourn parish was concentrated along the High Street near the church, though there were also streets and ancient closes in the areas of the village known as Caxton End and Crow End.
The population had grown to 945 by 1851. This fell to 587 in 1931, during the Great Depression, but after World War II a large influx of squatters from London came to live on the disused airfield and the population was 1,053 in 1951. 'Parishes: Bourn', A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 5 (1973), pp. 4–16. Date accessed: 26 July 2008 Some later occupied Bourn's first council housing estate, Hall Close. Bourn website: History
Now the Rural Flying Corps uses part of the runway for light aircraft; small industrial developments occupy other areas of the site. On Bank Holidays, Bourn Market uses much of the old runways for stalls.
Bourn parish ranges from 32 to 72 metres above sea level and the soil is clay with a gault subsoil. GENUKI: Bourn In 2001, the area of the parish was 1,660 hectares. Cambridgeshire County Council: Parish Census profile 2001
The body of the mill, the 'buck', contains all the machinery and is balanced on a 'post' supported by an oak trestle, which supports the entire weight of the mill, and bolted to four brick piers. Four sails and millstones in front of the post balance the double steps (which act as a thrust support when down) and the tail pole behind (which is used to turn the sails into the wind). It is called a 'Post Mill' because of its supporting post.
The sails have to face squarely into the wind so the buck, with the weight of all its machinery, has to be turned. First the (step lever) is pulled down and hooked into place to raise the steps, then the miller pushes the tail pole round and lastly lowers the steps again. The sails will turn without canvas in a strong wind but two 'common sails' (with close slats) can be 'clothed' by threading ringed canvasses on to central steel rods and roping them on to the sails. The other pair were fitted with 'automatic spring shutters' which opened releasing wind pressure when it blew too hard. Only two broken shutters remain of these. Cambridge Preservation Society
The mill was repaired and restored in 2003 after a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund. The work meant that the mill's sails could turn by wind, but it was not restored to a condition where it could grind. Heritage Lottery Fund: Bourn Mill In November 2021, the mill was placed on the Heritage at Risk Register, being said to be in danger of collapsing.
The Hagar family left Bourn Hall in 1733, and the estate belonged to the De La Warr family until 1883. During this period, the house was visited by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert while they were staying at Wimpole Hall. The last family connection with the village was Lady Mary, daughter of the 7th Earl De La Warr and wife of Major Griffin, who bought the house in 1921 and lived there until 1957. The property was then acquired by Peter and Ann King.
Bourn Hall was bought by Patrick Steptoe and Bob Edwards in 1980. It became a world-famous clinic for the treatment of infertility and is known as the Bourn Hall Clinic.
A new school was built in 1958 on the edge of the village, adjacent to open fields. It is within walking distance of most of the village. The school serves a large rural area of about . It is designated a Church of England controlled school. Bourn School serves the villages of Bourn, Caxton, Longstowe and Kingston and is in the catchment area of Comberton Village College, deemed in 2005 to be one of the best state secondary schools in the country.
Memorials in the church include one to Erasmus Ferrar, brother of Nicholas Ferrar, founder of the Little Gidding community. John Collett, farmer, of Bourn Manor was the husband of Susannah, sister to Erasmus and Nicholas, who were frequent visitors to the parish, where the family took refuge from the Black death. There were Protestant dissenters in Bourn from 1644 and there was a Methodist Chapel active in the village until 1982. The ecclesiastical parish is in the diocese of Ely Cathedral. Cambridgeshire History: Bourn
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