Fairlight Road, and the formation of the ground above the pond alluded to (in which there is a grating for the overflow), would give one the impression of the bed of a former water-course. From this spot all further trace is lost.
However, the Bourne Stream played an important part in the history of Hastings, as it provided the inhabitants with fresh water before the formation of Water-Works as we now know them. The supply of this water to the inhabitants was for ages under the control of a public official called the Water Bailiff or Bailiff of the Bourne, whose staff of office is still preserved in the Museum, and was called the " Oar Mace," and also used when making arrests on the high seas. The flood gate already mentioned as being used for gathering the water was opened at intervals announced by the blowing of a
horn, when the inhabitants filled their vessels from the running Stream, and during the operation it is probable the flood gates near the Courthouse were closed. In many of the old title deeds relating to property in All Saints' Street, the boundary is spoken of as "Abutting on the East (or West) to the Bourne River," " To the South by the Sea Gate, on the North by the Minnis." The Bourne Stream was closed about 1835, when the Water Works at Harold Road were constructed by the Corporation. Bourne Street, as seen in another view with the Stream several feet below the rough pathways, was then filled up and Bourne Walk was made, and as a substitute -
