When visiting Boston you will find a medium-sized Lincolnshire market town (population of approximately 36,000) with a small port at the crossroads of the fens and adjacent to The Wash.

The most notable landmark is the parish church of Saint Botolph, more often referred to as the “Boston Stump”. It has one of the highest towers in England, which, due to the flat nature of the surrounding Lincolnshire countryside, can be seen from miles away. However, this famous landmark is also equally well known for its fabulously preserved lantern interior and 52 misericords.

Residents of the town are known as Bostonians, and the town has a worldly heritage where emigrants sailing from several other settlements named after the town, the most well-known being Boston in Massachusetts, in the North East United States.



The oldest” landmark” in the town is the May Fair which has been held in the first week of May every year since about 1125. This fair is one of the largest outdoor fairs in the country and attracts huge numbers to sample its unique atmosphere.

The towns market is held in the Market Place, the site of the original prison, on Saturdays and Wednesdays, and also on Wide Bargate on Wednesday. On the prison site there is a statue to Herbert Ingram, founder of the world-famous London illustrated News. A famous local hero, he tried to bring the first piped water to the town, was instrumental in bringing the railways to the town and the MP for Boston from 1856 to 1860.

Market Place and Strait Bargate are the retail hub of the town centre, with a superb selection of shops offering an incredible range of local and international produce, clothing, household and fancy goods – in fact all you would expect from a thriving shopping centre.



The town has a unique legacy in relation to engineering, rather than the usual tourist features. For example, not many people realise that a feat of incredible engineering, the Grand Sluice, which is hidden by road and rail bridges, keeps the tide out from the Fens twice a day, every day, helping to keep the Haven river delta clean.

If you are visiting Boston why not visit the seven-storey Maud Foster Tower Windmill, completed in 1819 and currently a working museum, is the tallest operating windmill in England (80ft/24.4 metres). It is also rather unusual in that it has five sails.



The excellent Freiston Shore, a nature reserve, is also worth a mention. It lies on The Wash coast north of the mouth of The Haven. And for those who like unusual facts, the Prime Time Meridian passes through the town.



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