Boston: Lincolnshire Fenland Town With the Stump and a Complicated Relationship With Migration
Boston is dominated by St Botolph's Church, known locally as the Stump. The tower rises to 272 feet and is the tallest parish church tower in England. On a clear day it is visible from 20 miles across the flat fenland. The town sits on the River Witham near the Wash, about 35 miles southeast of Lincoln. The population is around 45,000 for the wider borough. In the early 17th century, a group of Separatists from the Boston area attempted to flee to the Netherlands and were imprisoned in the Guildhall; some later sailed on the Mayflower, and the town gave its name to Boston, Massachusetts. The Guildhall Museum on South Street tells this story and preserves the cells where the Separatists were held.
Boston became nationally prominent during the EU migration debate. After the 2004 EU enlargement, the town's population grew rapidly with workers from Eastern Europe, particularly Lithuania and Poland, drawn by agricultural and food processing work in the surrounding fenland. At the 2016 referendum, Boston recorded the highest Leave vote in Britain at 75.6%. The town centre on the Market Place, Wide Bargate, and West Street has a busy market and a noticeable Eastern European grocery presence. The railway station is on the Poacher Line to Nottingham and Skegness. The A16 runs north to Grimsby and the A52 east to Skegness. For those considering adult companionship in south Lincolnshire, Boston is the main town in the fens, with Lincoln and Spalding the nearest alternatives.
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Boston is dominated by St Botolph's Church, known locally as the Stump. The tower rises to 272 feet and is the tallest parish church tower in England. On a clear day it is visible from 20 miles across the flat fenland. The town sits on the River Witham near the Wash, about 35 miles southeast of Lincoln. The population is around 45,000 for the wider borough. In the early 17th century, a group of Separatists from the Boston area attempted to flee to the Netherlands and were imprisoned in the Guildhall; some later sailed on the Mayflower, and the town gave its name to Boston, Massachusetts. The Guildhall Museum on South Street tells this story and preserves the cells where the Separatists were held.
Boston became nationally prominent during the EU migration debate. After the 2004 EU enlargement, the town's population grew rapidly with workers from Eastern Europe, particularly Lithuania and Poland, drawn by agricultural and food processing work in the surrounding fenland. At the 2016 referendum, Boston recorded the highest Leave vote in Britain at 75.6%. The town centre on the Market Place, Wide Bargate, and West Street has a busy market and a noticeable Eastern European grocery presence. The railway station is on the Poacher Line to Nottingham and Skegness. The A16 runs north to Grimsby and the A52 east to Skegness. For those considering adult companionship in south Lincolnshire, Boston is the main town in the fens, with Lincoln and Spalding the nearest alternatives.
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