St Botolph's Church

St Botolph's Church dominates the small market town of Boston in Lincolnshire and is one of the largest parish churches in England. Universally known as the Boston Stump, its great west tower rises to over 80 metres and can be seen for miles across the surrounding fenland and out into the Wash. Despite the nickname, the tower is in fact crowned by an elegant octagonal lantern rather than a true spire.

Construction began in the early 14th century, when Boston was one of the most prosperous ports in medieval England, trading wool and cloth across the North Sea. The wealth of those years paid for the soaring nave, vast traceried windows and richly carved choir stalls, some of which retain their original misericords with their lively medieval carvings of beasts, musicians and everyday life.

The church has strong links with the Pilgrim Fathers; several leading Puritan figures worshipped here before sailing for the New World, and the American city of Boston, Massachusetts, takes its name from the town. Visitors who climb the tower's spiral staircase are rewarded with panoramic views over the Wash, the fens and the surrounding Lincolnshire countryside.