Bourn village is situated in the county of Cambridgeshire just to the east of Ermine Street, the Roman Road between London and Lincoln also called the Old North Road.

Village Sign Bourn

It is home to the world-famous Bourn Hall clinic setup by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards in 1980. Bourn Hall was built-in the early 1600 on the site of a Bourn castle.

The castle was a wooden structure erected in Norman times towards the end of the reign of Norman the Conquer, it was destroyed by fire during the reign of Henry III in the war of the Barons.

The Church of St Mary’s and Helena’s that we see today dates back to the twelfth century but there was a church built just after the Norman Conquest which was made of wood.

The Church of St Mary’s and Helena’s

The belfry has a peel of eight bells which have been added to over the years, in the 19th century Bourn was renowned for its good hunting land, the bells of the church would be rung to advise to meet at one of the inns for the hunt. In 1842 the parish could boost a total of five inns.