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Boston developed after the Norman Conquest to become one of medieval England's most important ports. It handled the country's major export, wool. From a wide area and imported cloth and luxury goods, bought by the court and wealthy households at the annual Boston Fair, one of the greatest in England. The town's prosperity was reflected in the building of the great church of St Botolph's, still one of the largest in the kingdom, but then the wool trade declined, and Boston with it. After the Reformation the town was incorporated and took over the former manorial and monastic property as well as that of the medieval guilds. Boston became a centre of Puritanism and in the 1630s many leading citizens emigrated to found a new Boston as the capital of Massachusetts.
Drainage of the surrounding fens in the late 18th century led to a revival in the town's fortunes. Grain was exported coastwise and inland and the port expanded, with new wharves, banks and warehouses, followed by shipyards and ropewalks, breweries and foundries so that during the first half of the 19th century Boston was the largest town in Lincolnshire. Then the railway arrives in 1848 and took away the trade of the port, causing redundancy and poverty until the construction of the Dock, 30 years later led to a revival based on fishing and foreign trade. The story of the town is very readably told in this new book from an author with unrivalled, detailed knowledge of its history and geography. He makes skilful use of a splendid collection of well-captioned old photographs to add vivid visual impact to his narrative.
