VISITS

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Boston Guardian

The Boston Guardian newspaper began in 1854 and ran for over a hundred years until 1958, here are some snippets from one of the early issues dated April 19th. 1854.


There is an announcement that Steam Packets for Lincoln leave the Grand Sluice every morning at nine 'o' clock (Sundays excepted) arriving in Lincoln in time for trains to all parts of the Kingdom. Packets also left Lincoln for Boston at ten 'o' clock each day and arrived at Boston at four 'o' clock in the afternoon.


The advertisement columns provide many reflections of Boston life at this period, for one guinea Mr. Charles Ridgway taught Polka in six lessons, Mr. Keller had a musical warehouse in High Street, a library for subscribers and he was an insurance agent as well and Mr. J. Buck of Strait Bargate sold pianos at his music room. Music was not on tap in those days and people had to make their own.
The Pleasure Gardens at Vauxhall, Skirbeck, were re-opening, the Yacht Club were entertaining their Commodore to a public dinner at the White Hart and tenders were required for the building of the Corn Exchange and the Athenaeum. Mr. S. Southwell, hair cutter and wig maker of West Street not only made ladies and gentlemen's wigs but had private hair-cutting rooms next door to the Mansion, West Street. I wonder what became of the Mansion?
The old Guardian referred to was printed by Robert Roberts, in Strait Bargate, but for many years the Guardian had its works in West Street, the building (on the left in the picture below) was demolished and the Pizza Hut now stands in its place.

7 comments:

  1. the picture on west st i half remember the building , but the doorway under the white building was that a butchers or are the advancing years playing more tricks on me? judging by the style of car it wasn't that long ago when the building was knocked down. people are so lucky today to have cameras in their pockets. Thanks very much for the articles.

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    1. I'm sure there was a butchers there somewhere, like you said the memories blur. I remember to the left of the building there was Cheshires furniture store, the pop shop, and through one of the buildings I went to Dr. Usmar as a child.

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  2. I just about remember the old buildings where Pizza Hut is. I never realised one of them had such an interesting history...

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    1. A time machine would be nice John. ha ha.

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  3. Billy can you remember when Mrs Valentine had her fruit and veg shop in the right hand shop at the front of the Guardian Building,she was on Boston Council for many years, as was her husband Alderman Cyril Valentine who always drove around the town in a huge Yanky car.

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  4. I don't remember that Robin, just wish digital cameras had been invented earlier, then i'd have some pics to show you.

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  5. The Butchers in question was eventually run by Reg Dunmore after he moved out of the Regal Shopping Centre in the late 80s

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