BOSTON

The town of Boston is thought to be named after a Saxon monk by the name of Botolph who established a monastery in Boston around 654AD- the town's name is thought to be derived from 'Botolph's town'.

Boston was one of Britain's most important ports in the 14th Century and as a result the Great Church, St Botolphs was built. The 272 foot tower, commonly known as the Boston Stump, is an indication of the town's wealth. Legend tells us that the winds which blow around the exposed tower are the result of a struggle between St Botolph and the devil. The saint so troubled the devil that he huffed and puffed causing a wind which still remains today. The tower carried a lantern for the guidance of shipping.

As a calendar church, divisions of time can be found throughout the Boston Stump. Three hundred and sixty five steps to the top of the tower and twelve pillars support the roof counting the months of the year are just two of many such idiosyncrasies. The door knocker, which is older than the church itself, once gave sanctuary access to refugees from the law.The tower can be climbed for a small fee providing fantastic views of the surrounding fens.

Dominating the market square, near the church stands the statue of Herbert Ingram. Born in Boston in 1811, Ingram was educated at Loughton's Charity School and the public school in Wormgate. When he left school he was apprenticed to Joseph Clarke, a local printer and by 1834 had moved to Nottingham where he had set up in partnership with his brother in law.Herbert Ingram was not loathe to venture into the odd dubious deal since he produced a pill from a secret recipe which he sold with a pamphlet entitled 'The Life and Time of Old Parr who lived to be 152'!Building on his success, Ingram moved to London and started the Illustrated London News. Within months the circulation had reached 66,000. He used the best artists and writers he could find and at Christmas 1855 he produced the first coloured print ever to appear in a newspaper.He did not forget his links with Boston and three years before his death from a drowning accident in Canada, he was elected the Member of Parliament for the town.

Much of the town is on the east bank of the River Witham and many houses have flood steps - a reminder of the fenland floods through the centuries. In South Street the Guildhall, built in 1450, contains the cells in which the early puritans caught, while trying to escape to America, were imprisoned in 1607. Their trial took place in the Court House on the upper floor. In 1630 another band of puritans left Boston and founded the American city of the same name. The Guildhall is a museum, and Boston's maritime history is not forgotten with numerous exhibits of nautical interest.Just South of the Market Place beside the River Witham, the first building to be seen is Shodfriars Hall, with half timbered 15th century style overhanging gables. Not far from Shodfriars Hall is Blackfriars Arts Centre in Spain Lane. This 13th century building is now host to many activities including exhibitions, live concerts and theatre productions, films and workshops.

In 1819 the Maud Foster Windmill, (named after an Elizabethan lady who apparently gave the land to the Corporation), was built on the East Bank of the Maud Foster drain. The mill, built for two brothers, Thomas and Isaac Reckitt, received much of its corn by water and barges navigated the drain on a daily basis. The five sails or sweeps, as they are more correctly called, make it unusual. The mill, the tallest, working windmill in England, is still working, grinding corn for sale on site and is open to the public.The town today has much to offer with regular weekly markets and a modern shopping centre. In and around the town there is much to see and many places to visit.Nearby towns to visit: Lincoln, Skegness, Louth, Peterborough, Spalding, Holbeach, Grimsby, Grantham