Parish ProfileThe Revd Alyson Buxton - February 2019

Introduction

We are a parish with a broad churchmanship which comfortably rests within the liberal catholic inclusive church tradition, striving to be a welcoming community, where everyone is valued and diversity celebrated. Our core vision is to be A Place of Hospitality.

Using the strong gifts and talents of our leadership team the Parish has embarked on a rigorous ambition to be a significant place of welcome, hospitality and integration for our multi-cultural community. This ambition includes developing our building, our community engagement, our daily operational offering of the church, serving God, the community and congregation with our music offering as well as entering into our Phase 2 Heritage Lottery project A Passion for People. This is a 2.7 million pound building and community project which includes: restoring the west face of the tower, and west window, re-roofing of the octagon and re-pointing, establishing 2 internal porches Page 1 of 10 The Revd Alyson Buxton 2018

for the North and South door, redevelopment of the internal space with removal of a number of pews, underfloor heating and restoration of the floors in the north and south side. Then a new multi media interpretation scheme will be established with a full size labyrinth. The project also includes a full range of activities and events.

Our overarching vision is that we become a dynamic centre for cultural learning, heritage interpretation, a place of musical excellence for the community, keep our doors open and continue with our much needed conservation.

Under the umbrella of being a place of hospitality, God can be encountered by all; by people who visit every day, people who may visit once in their lives, by the young and old, worshippers and pilgrims, historians and tourists.

Our Parish

The parish of Boston is a united parish of three churches. The parish covers the larger part of the town of Boston, including the town centre. The propensity for multiple occupancy makes it difficult to provide an accurate population figure but thought to be approximately 27,000

St Thomas’ Church

In the year 1089 and following the Norman invasion, the Hundred of Skirbeck was divided into two parishes, Skirbeck and Boston, each with its own church. This left an area of land (or quarter) on the West bank of the River Haven. In the 19th century and following the expansion of Boston town, the parishes of Skirbeck Quarter and Wyberton were created and elected their first parish Councils.

Following the building of an original St Thomas’ school, opened in November 1866 and licensed for use as a chapel in 1877, a new corrugated iron church was built. Opened on April 23rd 1885 by Bishop Edward Trollope, “The Tin Tabernacle”, as it was affectionately known, lasted 25 years. The present church of St Thomas’ Skirbeck Quarter opened in 1912 and is in what is now a mostly residential area of the town of Boston. Designed by the Gothic Revival architect, Lushington Temple Moore, it is a Grade 2 listed building, in the Arts and Crafts style. St Thomas’ Church has a Church Hall that is used by the church and community.

Worship

Thursdays 11:00am Said Eucharist Lady ChapelSundays 11:00am Sung Eucharist Nave and Chancel

St Christopher’s Church

The present St Christopher’s church was opened in June 2001; it is an excellent facility for the community. St Christopher’s has developed its identity as both a church and a community Page 2 of 10 The Revd Alyson Buxton 2018

resource for the Fenside estate, an area of significant poverty and deprivation. The church is now principally used by the local community, the Food Bank and Sure Start.

WorshipServices are held here fortnightly on Sundays, alternating between

09:30 Said Eucharist Side Chapel09:30 Service of the Word Side Chapel

St Botolph’s Church

The building of St Botolph’s Church is truly iconic and impressive. The tower itself is over 272ft (83 m) high. It is the widest parish church in England, the tallest to the roof and also one of the largest by floor area; views from the top of the tower reach 32 miles. The interior space is 20,070 square feet (1,865 square metres); the nave length being 242ft (74 m) and width 104ft (32 m). It is known as a ‘Calendar Church’ which means many dimensions of the church correspond with periods in the calendar; for instance the roof is supported by 12 pillars, the church has 52 windows, 7 doors and there are 365 steps to the tip of the tower. There are also 24 steps to the library and 60 steps to the roof. It has the 14th highest church tower in England and has been described as ‘A Calendar in Stone’. St Botolph’s is reputed to be, by volume, the largest parish church in the country with the historic accolade of having Archbishop Michael Ramsey as its curate.Like all churches, St Botolph’s Church carries a range of expectations related to its various roles in the lives of those who use it. This is further enhanced and focused because of the ‘Minister’ nature of ministry it offers to the Town of Boston and surrounding area.

• It is a place of worship and prayer and a centre of Christian mission

• It is a place of pilgrimage and historical interest for those visiting the area and town.

• It has a key role in being a place of integration within a town experiencing significant demographic change through European migration.

• It is a place of refuge for the homeless and vulnerable.

• It is a centre of cultural activity

• It is a building whose fabric and monuments tell something of the story of the town and region.In 2017 we welcomed 150000 visitors.

Churches have been described as the most visible proclamation of the gospel we have and a ‘permanent antenna to the good news’ For St Botolph’s with a tower rising 83 metres and visible for 32 miles this is so true.

Church buildings root people in their sacred past as well as telling the story of the community in

which they are set. St Botolph’s Church is no exception to this. It could be best understood as an architectural journey telling the story of the town of Boston. The building of the present church began in 1309 on the foundations of a Norman church whose foundations lie three feet under the

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South aisle. It is thought that the present church (without tower) was completed in 1390. The Chancel was lengthened in the early 15th Century to stabilise the building. The Tower was thought to have been started in 1450 and the Architect is believed to be Reginald of Ely (who worked on King’s College Chapel, Cambridge): the Tower took 70 years to build. The building has been a work in progress since the early fourteenth century and significant additions, alterations and interventions to its fabric have been made in every subsequent century. Sir Nikolaus Pevsner in The Buildings of England describes is as ‘a giant among English parish churches’ and its tower as ‘the most prodigious of English parochial steeples’. In 1851, The Revd George Blenkin reported that he had three services on the 30th March; 870 had attended morning service, 424 came to the

afternoon service and 903 to the evening service. In the Sunday School there was 477 children.

The reality of a Sunday morning in 2015 is very different. The morning service congregations range from 65-95 people. Part of the dynamic of the service is the increasing numbers of people joining us from the migrant communities.

St Botolph’s worship and its music have always played a very central part in the life of the Church. Most celebrations of the Eucharist in St Botolph’s Church, including the Sunday Sung Eucharist, are celebrated in the Nave using the Nave altar. The other Chapels are used for midweek Eucharists and Morning Prayer and the Chancel is used for Choral Evensong on a Sunday evening.

At the Parish Conference in November 2014 and in further consultations it has been highlighted that the congregation wish to continue to honour and develop our eucharistic and choral tradition as well as to develop a more flexible, accessible, creative and all age worship style. This will be done by using all three church buildings as fully as possible. Plans are starting to develop the Strategic Development plan for 2020-2025

The Parish of Boston

Boston was a wealthy wool exporting port and in some years participating in more trade than London. The rich merchants’ guilds provided much of the money for the building from the proceeds of the commercial wool trade. Today Boston is a continental agricultural town with a known population of 64 thousand. St Botolph’s has been developed continually to the present day in relation to, and a reflection on, the community in which it is set. The iconic building and the town in which it is set continues to elicit a response from its community of people of love and pride in equal measure. As one of the largest parish churches in England set within this large, vibrant and growing town it has the opportunity for a unique relationship with its community and congregation. In recent years there has been significant demographic and sociographic changes in Boston. In a national newspaper Peter Hitching describes visiting Boston 30 years ago

‘I had a sense of penetrating a sleeping, utterly undisturbed part of the country. The Sixties had not really happened. There were no motorways. Life was slow, a little shabby, but untroubled by the fake urgency of more modern places. I half-expected to meet Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy L.

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Sayers’ aristocratic detective, on his way to solve the mystery of The Nine Tailors, set in this haunting countryside of fens, dykes, floods and bell towers.’

The experience from this picture of a sleepy market town set within prime agricultural land has significantly changed since the accession of the A8 states into the European Union in 2004; there has been an unprecedented change in the population profile. The 2001 Census figures showed Boston as having a population of 55,750 ten years later, the 2011 Census showed that our official population had risen to 64,600 with clear evidence that the increase has come from the migrant community.

Worship

As a space, the Stump demands good liturgy. Our worship is sacramentally centred, well done, and welcoming. St. Botolph’s has a long musical tradition, dating back to the early 16th century when the English polyphonist John Taverner was organist. The tradition is still maintained by our Director of Music, and parish choir. We also have a newly formed Children’s Choir and a large and vibrant Community Choir.

The current pattern of services is as follows:Sunday 8.00 am Said Eucharist (BCP) Cotton ChapelSunday 10.30 am Sung/Choral Eucharist Nave AltarSunday 6.00 pm Choral Evensong Chancel (2 x a month)Wednesday 10.30 pm Said Eucharist Cotton Chapel

Morning Prayer is said daily by the clergy and staff team at the Stump and is open to all.Worship in the Parish as a whole covers all the major festivals, specialist seasonal and civic services.

The clergy officiate at numerous occasional offices.

Leadership and Staffing

In recent years, the clergy staffing profile of the parish has consisted of a Team Rector, an Associate Rector and two stipendiary curate, one of which is the Boston Lecturer. We also are blessed with the ministry of two associate priests, a Reader, an Evangelism Coordinator and Lay Minister and a Pastoral Visiting Team. Our governance is supported by 4 Churchwardens and a Lay Chair.

St Botolph’s, in particular, has a long tradition as a training parish, and this is expected to continue. We have one active Lay Reader. and eight pastoral ministers. We have a part-time Music Director.

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We continue to minster within an open and collaborative structure fully committed to team ministry.

Our staff are developing into a collaborative and productive team. I am very proud of how they work together, are passionate about what they do and have worked so hard this last year.

Trevor Bailey Food Bank ManagerBob Taylor Assistant Food Bank ManagerChris Ladner Parish Resource Manager Adam Kelk Operations Manager and Head Verger (Government Funded)Caz Harvey Volunteer Manager (Government Funded)John Lyon Music DirectorAnn Epton CatererJackie Barkworth HousekeeperJayne Maddy HLF Administrator

Vicarage

The Vicarage is a very roomy, light and airy 5 bedroomed family home situated next door to St Thomas’ churchInside there are three large sitting rooms downstairs, along with a kitchen and utility room, downstairs cloakroom and internal access to the single garage. Upstairs there are 2 large bedrooms, 3 medium bedrooms and a family bathroom with separate WC. It has gas central heating throughout in good working order.Outside is accessed from a driveway off Linley Drive, as well as a private gateway from the churchyard next door. The vicarage has a large mature garden, which wraps around the building on three sides, and incorporates a paved patio area.

Outside view of The Vicarage Sitting room at The Vicarage View from the bedroom window.

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Transport

Boston has major road links via the A16 (54 miles to Grimsby, and 36 miles to Peterborough where there is a link to the A1 and the south), the A17 (36 miles to Kings Lynn, and 30 miles to Newark, where there is a link to the A1 and the north), and the A52 (53 miles to Nottingham linking to the Midlands). Lincoln is approximately 35 miles away.

Regular (hourly) trains run from Boston to Nottingham, stopping at Grantham where there is a link to the East Coast main line. These trains connect at Sleaford for lines to Peterborough, Spalding, Lincoln and Doncaster. There are also rail links to the seaside town of Skegness. Local buses run to nearby towns in Lincolnshire, Spalding, Skegness, Lincoln, Horncastle and to nearby villages.Amenities and Attractions

Entertainment

Blackfriars Theatre offers professional and amateur entertainment almost every day of the year to suit all tastes from wrestling to ballet1.

Boston Guildhall was built in the 14th Century Hall for Guild of St Mary and is now a visitor attraction, museum, and Tourist Information Centre2.

Just outside Boston at Fishtoft is the Pilgrim Fathers Memorial, which marks the area known as Scotia Creek where a group of puritans (who later became known as the Pilgrim Fathers) were arrested.

The Princess Royal Sports Arena3 offers a wide range of sport and recreational facilities including pool, indoor and outdoor athletics tracks and gym. Geoff Moulder Pool and Fitness Centre4 also offers pool, gym and fitness classes.Boston Tennis Club5 boasts the largest indoor tennis facilities in the East Midlands plus a large number of outdoor courts.

There is ten-pin bowling at Boston Bowl6, and opportunities to get involved in many local sports including, football, rugby, archery, martial arts and boxing. There are many clubs and societies for all ages and covering many activities.

1 http://www.blackfriarsartscentre.co.uk/news/news.asp2 http://www.bostonguildhall.co.uk3 http://www.prsa.org.uk4 http://www.bostonleisurecentre.co.uk5 http://www.bostontennis.co.uk6 http://www.bostonbowl.co.uk/bowl/

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The market is held twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, filling the market place. Good soil and farming practice make this area one of the main suppliers of the nation’s vegetables, much of it on sale in Boston market. Each Wednesday there is also a market in the area known as The Green. At this market farm produce, plants, miscellaneous timber and metal objects, pedal cycles and a great deal else are auctioned. On the third Wednesday of each month there is a small Farmers’ Market. A weekly craft market has recently been established.

Once a year, when the May Fair comes to Boston, the markets are much reduced and moved elsewhere in the town. The Fair fills the Market Place, Wide Bargate and the Green and has been a regular part of the Boston’s life for hundreds of years. The Fair opens with a service from the ‘gallopers’, that is, the carousel fairground ride, usually led by the Team Rector.

Education in Boston

Primary Schools

Within the parish there are six primary schools, all with infant and junior sections (some have Nursery and Early Years provision also):

· Park Academy7;· Carlton Road Primary Academy8;· Staniland Primary Academy9;· St. Thomas’s Church of England Primary School10 (now federated with Wyberton

Foundation Primary School); and · Boston West Academy11.· Boston Pioneers Academy 18

As a parish we are currently active in St Thomas’ school, where clergy provide an assembly every Thursday morning; in Boston West school, where our curate provides two assemblies a term; and Park school, where our Director of Music takes singing assemblies.A new Free School is set to open in the parish in September on the site of the old Conway School. This site is the property of the Conway Trust, of which the Rector and Churchwardens of St Botolph’s Church are the managing trustees.

Outside the parish there are four other primary schools with infant and junior sections within the town of Boston:

· St. Nicholas Church of England Primary School12;

7 http://www.bostonparkcommunity.co.uk/page/default.asp?title=Home&pid=18 http://www.carltonroad.org.uk9 http://www.staniland.org.uk10 http://www.stthomasprimary.com11 http://www.bostonwestprimary.co.uk/page_viewer.asp?page=Home&pid=112 http://www.bostonstnicholas.com

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· Hawthorne Tree Community Primary School13;· Tower Road School14, and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic School15.

Secondary Schools

Lincolnshire still retains most of its Grammar Schools, admitting pupils on the basis of performance in an 11+ test. There are two such schools in Boston. Lying within the parish boundaries is the boys’ Grammar School16 dating back to the sixteenth century. Boston Grammar School recently became a selective academy. Boston High School17, located on Spilsby Road in the parish of Holy Trinity, is a selective academy for girls. Some children from Boston also attend Grammar Schools in Skegness, Horncastle, Spalding and Sleaford.

Haven High Academy18 in Robin Hood’s Walk admits children who do not take the 11+ test, and those who fail, subject to the availability of places and other admissions criteria. It is part of the Boston Witham Academies Federation, which includes Carlton Road Children’s Centre, Staniland Primary Academy, and the former St Bede’s Roman Catholic Science College.

Children from Boston also attend secondary schools slightly further afield, including the Giles Academy at Old Leake, Kirton Middlecott school, and William Lovell Church of England Academy at Stickney. John Fielding Community Special School19is a day special school for children with severe and profound learning difficulties.

Located within the parish, Boston College20 is distributed across several locations. It provides over 400 courses and works in partnership with business to provide Apprenticeships. About 8,000 students a year, roughly 25% of them full-time, enrol each year. A significant number of overseas students study at Boston College.

Environment and Landscape

The county of Lincolnshire is one of the largest in England stretching from the Humber in the north to the Wash in the south, and from Nottinghamshire and Rutland in the west to the North Sea coast in the east. It has magnificent, wide-open spaces, but it is not as flat as many people imagine. Although the county lacks mountains, it has the beauty of the Wolds, gentle green hills that are easy on the eye. Its long coastline provides a mixture of busy, medium sized resorts and smaller places which give the joys of the seaside without the razzmatazz of larger seaside towns.

13 http://www.hawthorntree.co.uk/page_viewer.asp?page=Home&pid=114 http://www.towerroadacademy.co.uk15 http://www.bostonstmarys.co.uk/page/default.asp?title=Home&pid=116 http://www.bostongrammarschool.co.uk17 http://www.bostonhighschool.co.uk/site/18 http://www.bostonpioneersacademy.net 19 http://www.johnfieldingschool.co.uk20 http://www.boston.ac.uk/Pages/home.aspx

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One of the attractions of Lincolnshire is its beaches of good, clean sand, most of which are “blue flag” beaches. From Cleethorpes in the north to Skegness in the south, with Mablethorpe in between, these resorts offer a good day out for the family. There are smaller villages between Skegness and Mablethorpe that are quiet, and are not too far from Boston.

Nearer to Boston is the Wash coastline. A groundbreaking conservation project has given the county the largest area of salt marsh in the country. The superb scenery combines to give mile after mile of walking, cycling, bird watching or simply peace and tranquillity. Two RSPB reserves are within easy reach of Boston, at Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore.21

The Wolds provide good, but reasonably easy, walking, with well-marked footpaths through beautiful countryside. Many of the villages are tiny, but very attractive. The Wolds begin not more than 15 miles from Boston, and they provide plenty to see and do. A recent addition to our parish life has been an annual Day Out in the Wolds, when we visit and pray in the churches, walk in the countryside, and have a pub lunch together.

Boston lies within the Fens which stretch southwards to Spalding, Crowland and the Cambridge Fens. The whole area is bisected by its “drains”. Essential for the management of the fen drainage they provide a wonderful wild-life habitat and coarse fishing. One looks into the distance and sees for miles. There is never a feeling of being confined. Boston Stump itself can be seen from far away; on a good day from Hunstanton, Norfolk. From the tower balcony, on a clear day, it is possible to see Lincoln cathedral.

Places to Visit – Things to See

Whatever your interest there is a wide choice. If it’s visiting churches and other historic buildings, than you will find yourself in the right place as Lincolnshire has more than 600 church buildings, a major medieval cathedral at Lincoln, a number of castles, windmills, pumping engines and stately houses to explore. The National Trust and English Heritage have a several properties within the county. There are plenty of art galleries and museums that reflect Lincolnshire life.

During World War II Lincolnshire was often known as “Bomber County”. Some of these old airfields have either been converted to aviation museums or are used as places for the display of aircraft. The county still has a number of working RAF stations. There are several country parks, wildlife reserves, a butterfly park and a seal sanctuary.

21 http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/framptonmarsh/ and http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/freistonshore/

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