Beacon Summer 2017

BOULTHAM
PARK
HERITAGE
A fictional depiction using
historical information by
volunteer Chris Tutty
1909 - Lt. Colonel Richard Ellison
looked out over the misty
grasslands of his estate.
Lincoln was small as cities went, but
despite its relative size and the closeknit
community, it had its share of grand,
secluded areas where one could enjoy
their privacy, albeit more so when
one was as fortunate as him. Almost
eight decades had passed since the
acquisition of the Boultham Park estate
by his ancestor Richard Ellison III, but what
fascinated him more than the history
of the estate were the possibilities for its
future.
A sizeable portion of the grounds
had long since been excavated and
converted into the lake he saw before
him, and visions flitted through his mind’seye
of the parties and community events
that had been thrown here over the years.
What would happen, he mused, if the
grounds were opened permanently to
the public? Of course, his estate would
have to have been vacated, but then, he
knew, ownership only lasted as long as the
owner. What could become of this scenic
place?
convalesce; after all, his time in the armed
forces left him as aware as it was possible
to be of the awful consequences of war.
New military technology, known as ‘tanks’,
were going into production, and what a
space for their construction his land could
provide!
What would happen if the
grounds were opened
permanently to the public?
What else could become of the estate?
He imagined an annual fair, stalls and
live music. He imagined great crowds of
families, young and old, filling the grounds,
the sights and sounds of nature available
to the whole community. When such
events were not on, when the grounds
were otherwise free, any number of
people might be able to enjoy the trees,
plants, the lake and other scenery. Paths
could be laid to allow different routes and
thoroughfares, a more expedient way
for people to pass through the Boultham
community.
The estate long owned by generations
of his family, he thought, could benefit
the whole of the community. Little did he
know, a century later, that these things
and more besides would come to pass.
For as long as the house itself stood, he
marvelled at the uses it could be put
to. He pictured it being used to help
his injured fellow military personnel
Telling the story of
our rich heritage
18 www.boulthampark.co.uk