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St
Botolph's Church, often known as Boston 'Stump' is spectacular from
outside and is described by Pevsner as a 'giant among English Parish
churches' Boston Stump has always been a landmark to both seafarers
and people travelling across the flat fenland that surrounds the town.
Replacing
an earlier Norman church construction of the present building commenced
in 1309 at the east end and was completed by 1390 apart from the
tower. The tower construction was started in 1425 - 1430 but not
completed until 1510-1520. The Chancel was originally only designed
to be three bays long but was lengthened by two additional bays
to the east possibly because of the growing importance of commercial
and religious life of the town.
In
post reformation times there has been remodelling of the interior
of the building. With some minor exceptions the exterior has remained
much as it would have been at the time of the reformation. Internally
however a major programme of work remodelled the church with box pewing,
a timber and plaster vault and a sweeping away of the medieval screens,
rood and seating arrangements. The interior of the church now largely
reflects two significant periods of restoration, in the mid 19th century
and in the second decade of the 20th Century.
Over its 700 years the church has played its part in both national
and international history. It will be forever linked through the puritan
emigrants who in 1630 followed in the wake of the Pilgrim Fathers
and founded a new Boston in the United States of America. The size
of which has long since surpassed the Lincolnshire Boston in size
and importance, but the close links are never forgotten. |

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