VisitSt. Botolph’s

IMPORTANT COVID-19 UPDATE 05.01.21
Following the announcement by the Prime Minister that England will enter a time of National Lockdown, St Botolph’s will be closed until further notice. The Parish Office remains open via telephone (01205) 310929 or email admin@parishofboston.co.uk. All worship services will now take place online via Zoom, for the login information please contact the Parish Office. Please note that Funerals services will continue as normal.

 

“St. Botolph’s, otherwise known as ‘Boston Stump’, is a very special place and I hope you catch a sense of that as you visit us. The beauty of the building is breath-taking. We are inheritors and custodians of an extraordinary vision which could imagine and build something of this scale and grandeur. There is so much here which makes us marvel, admiring human ingenuity and the faith which motivated it.

Yet I also hope you encounter the community here – the staff, volunteers and worshippers who try to make a difference for God. They offer an attractive, confident Christianity, a warmth of welcome, and a willingness to engage. Within our building and community we hope to be a Place of Hospitality for you and those you love.”

Alyson Buxton – Team Rector for the Parish of Boston

Come and climb 209 steps for the Tower Experience and then visit the Coffee Shop & Gift Shop or reflect in our sacred space.  St Botolph’s Church is open Monday – Friday and is free to enter, although charges do apply to the Tower Experience. Tours are offered, for more information please see here.

Opening Times

Church

St Botolph’s welcomes everyone, including your pets! We are an Animal Friendly (Anglican Society of the Welfare of Animals) Church and a member of the Inclusive Church network. We are free to enter.

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
9am – 3pm

Stump Gift Shop & The Big Lego Build

The Boston Stump Gift Shop sells a great range of reasonably priced gifts and Boston souvenirs. All the proceeds raised through our shop goes towards ensuring that we can continue to keep our doors open every day throughout the year. For more information, please contact the Shop Manager either via adam.kelk@parishofboston.co.uk or call (01205) 310929.

Help to build our 100,000 piece replica model of St Botolph’s. Each brick costs £1.00 to sponsor with all the money raised contributing to our educational & community work. Simply pay your sponsorship money in our Gift Shop and then place your brick! For more information please contact the Parish Office either by contacting admin@parishofboston.co.uk or calling (01205) 310929. Alternatively, you can pay via the website through the dedicated Lego page, here.

Monday – Friday
9am – 3pm

Sunday
Temporarily closed until further notice

Tower Experience

There is a £5.00 charge for over 18s, with children going free accompanied by an adult. The climb is not an organised tour, visitors climb on their own.

To ensure the safety of all who climb we have implemented the following COVID-19 Secure Safety Measures:

• Hand sanitiser must be used before climbing the tower & when exiting the tower
• There will be a 15-minute gap between each set of climbers
• The number of climbers at any given time will be monitored to ensure that social distancing can be adhered to throughout the climb
• No large bags or holdalls will be permitted, these can be safely stored in the Gift Shop whilst you climb

Please note: You are advised that it is not suitable for those with cardio-respiratory conditions, or for persons taking medication for breathing difficulties. Young persons under the age of 18years are not permitted to climb the tower unless accompanied by an adult. If there is any doubt you will be asked to prove your age before entry. We regret that bags and holdalls are not permitted. The tower climb may need to close due to inclement weather.

Monday – Friday
9am – 2.30pm

Sunday
Temporarily closed until further notice

Coffee Shop

The Stump Coffee Shop serves a good selection of hot/cold drinks, cakes and biscuits. We offer freshly prepared sandwiches on a Wednesday. Please note that not all items pictured are available – we are currently running a reduced menu to ensure the safety of our volunteers.

Wednesday – Friday
9am – 3pm

Sunday
Temporarily closed until further notice

Service Times

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our service times have temporarily changed to the following. Please note that we have also implemented safety measures to protect all who visit/worship at St Botolph’s which can be found here. Our services are available via Zoom, to join us please email admin@parishofboston.co.uk or call (01205) 310929 to obtain the login details.

Sunday Services
Sung Eucharist – 11.00am

Mid-week Service
Said Eucharist – Wednesday at 10:30am

Please see Worship Services here as service times can change.

How to find us

By Car: St Botolph’s Church Church Close Boston PE21 6NWFrom the A16 follow signs for Boston town centre For car parking please see here

By Train: Boston Train Station Station Approach Boston PE21 3RN5 minute walk For the Boston train timetables please see here

By Bus: Boston Bus Station St. Georges Road Boston PE21 8YB5 minute walk For more information please see here

 

Blenkin Memorial Hall

The Blenkin Memorial Hall is currently home to the Boston & Sutterton Foodbank Project. We are currently unable to offer this space to hire.

History of the Church

St. Botolph’s Church, often known as ‘Boston Stump’, is spectacular from outside and in 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 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 Boston in Lincolnshire, but the close links are never forgotten.