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Boston
Boston maps
Historic maps of Boston and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Boston maps
Boston area books
Displaying 1 of 8 books about Boston and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Boston
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Boston.
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Boston Blew Away Tottenham
Boston were on a roll in the 1955 F.A Cup. They beat Derby County 6-1 at Derby. In the next round we where drawn away to Tottenham Hotspur; great excitement filled the town. Special trains were laid on, to take the hundreds of supporters, most of us that used the Kings Head in Emery Lane put money in a kitty to buy some beer for the train journey. We marched down to the station like an army platoon, in a joyful mood, proudly displaying our rosettes. Cyril Burton, the landlord of the Kings Head, had borrowed a bugle off one of the fishermen who used his pub. Going through Welwyn Garden City it was a bit on the foggy side. We where told that Roy Scrupps from Wyberton had thrown a wreath on Peterboro Station as we passed through, Boston United were football rivals at that time. Soon as kick off started, Cyril Burton blew that bugle none stop, even at half time, he had large space to himself; as spectators moved away,... Read more
Railway Horses
The railway horses were stabled on the Dock. One of the handlers was a man called White, who was the landlord of the Royal Oak pub in High Street. They would pull the wagons along the line where they were needed. It was strenuous work for the horses, I've seen them fall on their knees, straining to get the fully loaded wagons to start to roll; once they started to roll, the handler would quickly unhook the chain. They also worked on the Mussel Stage. When the cockles and mussels were unloaded off the boats onto the mussel stage, they were then loaded into the railway wagons. The horses then would pull them along the Mussel Stage, to a turntable on the stage, so they could turn the wagons to go across the road into the railway yard to be transported to various destinations. It was really hard work for the animals. It's a good job those days have passed.
Cattle Market
In our school holidays, I and one or two more used to go with cattle drovers, there were often a thousand Irish cattle arriving at the cattle dock on some Saturdays. The front of the herd would be at the Town Bridge as other cattle were still leaving the cattle dock. We would guard all the sidestreets and passageways. Cattle would be sold at the market, then were taken to various fields outside of town. One drover, Edger, had the foulest mouth you could imagine, another was one-armed Tom, it was rumoured he fell at Spalding Market, hit his head on the ground and it killed him. Tom Dixon was another drover all his working life, he was brought up in Jubilee Avenue. The roads and pavements were splattered with cow muck, you didn't want a poop scoop, a J C B would have been handy. .
Dolphin Lane Sweet Shop
I used to go to St Botolph's School which was in Pump Square. I used to go with my cousins to our nan's little shop for our sweets and broken crisps. I can see her now, she had plaits which curled round each side of her face and she wore glasses. Whenever I pass it now it takes me back. I'm 64 now and started St Botolph's when I was 5 x
Showler's of Dolphin Lane
What a lovely site this is. I didn't live in Boston but spent many happy years in the 60' and 70's staying with my Grandma, Doris Showler, who had owned the sweetshop 'Showler's' in Dolphin Lane since the 1930's and later carried on working in it when she sold it on and it became 'Cuthbert's'. It's the shop which is now the perfumerie. It seems that anyone who grew up in the area at that time visited the shop for their sweeties and, later, their ciggies! I'm currently writing a book about my past and would love to hear from anyone who has personal memories of the shop and my lovely gran. You can find me at www.hazelquinn.com - I would love to hear from you. Thanks!
Town of my Great/grt. Grandfather
My Great, great Grandfather--Thomas Garnham was married in this lovely church three days before the battle of Trafalgar in Oct---1805. He was described as a 'Sailmaker' at this time aged 24 years. He had connections to the 'Red-Cow' where is wife's parents lived and later was the landlord of the'Cross-Keys' which was eventually pulled down and replaced by what is now 'The New-England Hotel. I have searched for years for his place of birth with negative results. He died in 1841.
The Barge Inn
I have such fond memories of my school holidays staying with my Uncle Jack and Aunty Anne at the Barge Inn, Tattershall Road, ( I think they may have actually owned the pub). I used to love being spoilt by my aunt and uncle and also my father's brother Harry Pick who used to frequent the pub. They used to have loads of fishermen staying there and there was a massive kitchen where Ann and her mum Mary used to do all the baking, I used to collect eggs early morning from the sheds with Ann and blackberries etc, for the home made pies.
I would stay for a few weeks during school summer hols and Easter time. I hadn't been back to that area for over 40 years until a couple of years back I went up to visit all my cousins living in Boston and they took me round to where The Barge used to be, what a disappointment to me, there are mews houses standing where... Read more
Great Grandmother, Elsie Clara Doughty
my great grandmother, Elsie Clara Doughty, died two weeks ago. My great grandmother was married to Charles Doughty, my great grandfather, who Doughty Quay was named after in Boston.
