Early 1920's Fire Brigade.

At a meeting of the Boston Town Council in the early 1920's a new scheme was adopted with a view to do away with the difficulties of transport of the fire engines. Accordingly the old manual engine was mounted upon a Ford lorry chassis, and the difficulty of obtaining horses was eliminated.
The members of the brigade standing outside the Municipal Buildings in West Street above are left to right.
Back row : Fireman May,  2nd. Engineer Budge,  and V. McGuire.
Front row : Capt. Wells,  Senior Fireman Jessop,  Assistant Fireman Graves,  Fireman Savage,  Wright,  1st. Officer Trevitt,  and 2nd. Officer Bradley.

Fire at the Picturedrome.

In the early hours of a May morning in 1930 the Picturedrome Cinema in High Street (affectionally known as The Cosy) caught fire and was so fierce that by daybreak only the walls remained. The cause of the outbreak was unknown but was surmised that a smouldering cigarette end or a lighted match thrown carelessly down was the cause. The Boston Brigade managed to save adjoining properties and were praised by the local newspapers.

 

The Picturedrome Cinema in High Street.

The walls were demolished as they were unsafe but in doing so an interesting bit of old Boston was brought to view. It was part of the next door premises of C.C. Wright and was very ancient, having a Tudor doorway and no less than seven windows of that period.

The view after the demolition of the Picturedrome cinema showing the Tudor door and windows on the neighbouring property. The site is now the car park opposite the Golden Lion pub.

GUNPOWDER EXPLOSION IN SOUTH STREET.

Today we have a very good Fire Service in Boston but it wasn't always so as you'll see from this almost farcical description from the Illustrated London News of a fire that occured in South Street In June 1844.

The six engines of the town were speedily on the spot along with hundreds of people ready to give help if they were needed, the tide was high so there was no shortage of water and it appeared the fire would be short lived and soon put out. It was only then that it was realised that all the engines except one had no suction pipes and the one they had was only 12 feet long and too short to reach the water!!!
Buckets were obtained from every direction and lines formed to supply the engines but by the time the engines were got into efficient play the fire had well taken hold and one house was a mass of flames which appeared to be rapidly extending to a sacking warehouse to the left of it and the Custom-House and other premises to the right.
The people with the buckets carried on their work through intense heat when suddenly an explosion of gunpowder took place and blew the whole of the front of the burning house out, some of the bricks being actually propelled across the river, and a mass of ruins and burning embers falling among the crowd, it was a miracle that no one was hurt in the explosion.

                                 The big fire in South Street, Boston in June 1844.

Then a false rumour started that there was an enormous stack of gunpowder in the building that the fire was rapidly approaching, the ignition of which would blow up half of Boston. The hardy workers at the engines looked terrified and it seemed for a moment that their efforts would be abandoned until they were positively assured that all gunpowder had already exploded and there was no danger from this source. It was reported that it was a meloncholy sight to see the poor effect that the town engines had upon the flames, the hose was full of holes and far more water was wasted than reached the fire.
Eventually the whole frontage extending from Custom House Lane to Spain Lane was a mass of fire, the Ship Tavern was rapidly consuming and the connection between that, the bond yard, the London Tavern, and the numerous tenements in Shrodfriars Lane presented an appalling aspect.
The flames now extended over an enormous area (at least 50 yards square) but were prevented from spreading to the other side of Spain Lane by an unceasing play upon them, although the windows broke and paint blistered due to the intense heat.
On the other side the greatest danger existed from the closeness of the Ship Tavern whose roof was in many places in flames and the out-buildings and stables of the London Tavern so an engine was sent round to the London Tavern yard and every well was quickly drained, a line formed and water conveyed in buckets from a pump in the stable-yard. This pump continued for an hour and half and the saving of all property in this area was attributed to it.

A paddock in Red Lion Street.

The Centenary Chapel  in Red Lion Street (below) was opened for service on October 1st, 1840 and was destroyed by fire in 1909. A new one was built in its place (second picture below) but what was there on the site previous to 1840?
Well, according to Mr. George Pearson, an old Bostonian, speaking in July, 1914 there was a large paddock there, bounded on each of its four sides by a high massive wall which had been built solely for the purpose of keeping out the general public.

Above:   The first church, burned down in 1909.

Below:   The new church built on its site.

Access to the enclosure, which, as part of the property of the Red Lion Hotel was popularly known as the Red Lion paddock, was only gained by one small gate set into the wall on the side flanking Red Lion Square but, in mockery of these precautions (the young of the town especially) scaled the walls or picked the lock of the gate and took part in organised games and sports. Mr. Pearson himself confessed to going in the paddock and said on Saturday afternoons it was crowded. The ground was also sometimes occupied by a touring dramatic company, which presented plays to all who might turn up, the paddock thus serving as an open air theatre. The "Strolling players", as they styled themselves, came at any time of the year and were as irregular in their visits as another travelling group who gave exhibitions of daring horsemanship in a temporarily erected booth. 

Lincoln Lane Area

During the 1960’s the Lincoln Lane area (almost opposite the Stump on the other side of the river) was demolished in preparation for redevelopment.

The Blue Lion on the corner bottom left, and the Victoria Inn on the far right corner.

The area included Irby Row, St. George’s Lane, Lawrence Lane, Leicester Square, Pinfold Lane, Stanbow Lane, Rosegarth Street and Lincoln Lane itself. Earlier demolition and the passage of time had already brought Lincoln Lane to its knees and from 1932 to 1961 between 75 and 100 properties had been pulled down by the Corporation or by their owners.

Many of the buildings and homes were up to 200 years old and four of the Stanbow Lane cottages were once used as a hospital.

The cottages that were used as a  hospital in Stanbow Lane.

When it was built the area was a prosperous place, boasting among other homes, two or three large merchant’s houses and gardens. It was mainly residential but later a few pubs (the Stag and Pheasant, the Hop Pole, the Victoria, the Blue Lion etc.) appeared as well, and then, as slum clearance produced waste land, shops were built and industry edged a foot in the doorway, including the shoe lace factory of Arthur Whittle and Co. Ltd., a slaughterhouse, George White’s saleroom and even the Fire Station had its home there but by 1961 there were fewer than fifty houses occupied.

Part of Lincoln Lane.

But what of the residents in 1961 that were told they would have to leave? At the Victoria Inn, Mrs. Agnes Berry, wife of the landlord said, “I’m not really bothered, but I know most of my customers are” she also looked back at some of the characters of the area she knew, there was Topper, (a chimney sweep who sported a top hat) Shetty, Weary butterfly, Sooty Sue, Old Pol Simpson, Old Nel Drury……….
At 13, Rosegarth Street, lived Tom and William Cushley, brothers (at 66 and 70 respectively) and both retired Corporation dustmen. Tom had won the Military Medal in the First World War and it was his fourth home in the area. He said, “We’ve both had 35 years on the ash carts. We live here happily together. It suits us and we’re never badly*. Course we don’t want to move!” “I spent four years out in France without a scratch. Now, after five years here they want me out, and it’ll be the fourth time.”
At 16, Rosegarth Street, Mr. and Mrs. W. Hough, with a growing family, took a different view. Said Mrs. Hough: “We’ve always lived in old houses and it will be a pleasure to get away from this and into a decent one. We’ve no bath and no electricity, and the place is damp.”

Rosegarth Street.

At her grocers shop in Lincoln Lane, Mrs. May Peacock, was worried. “I’ve been in this shop for 24 years, the ground opposite has been waste all that time and we want to know definitely what’s going to happen, and when. This shop is my living.”

The corner of Stanbow Lane and Pinfold Lane.

So, back to today, it was all eventually “rejuvenated” and on the characterless, red-bricked site now (2011) among other things are the Police Station, the Department of Employment, an empty Kwik-Save supermarket and the Bus Station.
*In Boston “never badly” means you’re never ill.

Two Signs

The man stood in front of St. Botolph's Church in this picture is Mr. G.E. Hackford’s (a Boston photographer) Uncle. There are two signs above the doorway he is standing in, one warned people where the key to the fire station was obtainable, while the other draws attention to the fact that shaking rugs in the churchyard is not permitted!!

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous Pictures.

Demolition of livestock pens, Bargate, 1974.

Bottle from the Eagle Brewery, Boston.

The Bath Gardens and old General Hospital.

Potato weigher, made in Boston.

T.V. detector in Tower Street.

Strait Bargate, 1964.

Building the Starlight Rooms, 1960's.

Boston Station, 1962.

32, Market Place, near where the Waterfront pub is now.

Advert for Wright's garage, Wide Bargate.

The Ferry from Skirbeck Road to Edwin Street, off High Street.

The livestock pens and bull ring in Wide Bargate, the Red Cow pub is in the distance.

The Merseybeats 'down the dance' in the 1960's.

Middlecott Almshouses, demolished in 1966. Middlecott Close was built on the site.

The Market Place,1914. Recruiting for World War One.

Boston & District Ploughing Society celebrations, unknown date.

The Corn Exchange.

The corner of Stanbow Lane and Pinfold Lane in 1964.

The old Drill Hall, near the present day Matalan store.

The Boston Coat of Arms.

Early Fire brigade, outside the Municipal Buildings, West Street.

The Lord Nelson Field. (where Nelson Way is now)

Unexploded bomb outside Cammacks shop, Wide Bargate in 1940.

A room of the Whale Inn showing a mosaic of a whale in 1971.

Cheer's shop in West Street.

Soldiers in West Street, returning from the Boer War.

The last commercial sailing ship to leave Boston Dock (Danish).

Blackfriars in 1856.

The old St. Botolph's Church bellringers.

27, Wormgate in 1910.

Where the Waterfront pub is now.

Arme's down West Street.

Strait Bargate in the 1980's.

Bedford's Mill, where the Pizza Hut car park is now on Fydell Crescent.



Fire in Bargate

In the early hours of Monday 9^th September 1906 a fire, which resulted in the death of a young girl, occurred at 27 Strait Bargate (the present site of WH Smith) the premises of the Bargate drug stores. The household consisted of the proprietor Mr Charles Fowler Cooke, his wife, their two daughters (Ellen Gertrude, aged 23 and Eva aged 19), and a servant girl Elizabeth Jessop. Mr and Mrs Cooke slept on the second floor, the two daughters occupied a bedroom at the top of the house and the servant also had a room on the same floor as the daughters.
The family went to bed at about 11 o clock on the Sunday night and everything was alright, shortly after midnight Mr and Mrs Cooke were woken up by a noise that sounded like tins falling and Mrs Cooke went to investigate. On going to the landing she saw through the glass panel of the warehouse door that a light was burning inside and rushed back to her husband and told him. She hurried to rouse the two daughters and the servant while Mr Cooke attempted unsuccessfully to put out the fire with a hand basin and a bucket of water. Mrs Cooke succeeded on waking the sleepers at the top of the house and they descended the stairs but when Mrs Cooke and Eva Cooke reached the street they discovered that Gertrude and the servant were missing.

Meanwhile, someone had gone and told a police officer and he blew his whistle and raised the alarm. When he arrived at Cooke’s the place was ablaze and numerous helpers were on the scene. Mr Morgan from a local shop heard that the two females were trapped inside and got a ladder from the Red Lion hotel in the same street and attempted their rescue. There appeared to be a girl at each of the two top bedroom windows and from the one occupied by the daughter Gertrude came heartrending screams but unfortunately the ladder only reached as far as the balcony. Miss Jessop, the servant, let herself down onto the balcony a distance of about 10 feet and through the efforts of two bystanders she was saved.
All the incidents above happened within the space of about 10 minutes and then the hose cart and a longer ladder appeared on the scene. “Save my child!” the parents cried in anguish and Fireman Haynes and J A Wilson went up the larger ladder and thoroughly examined the two top bedrooms, looking under the beds and in every corner that the girl might have hidden herself to hide from the flames. The remaining members of the Volunteer Fire Brigade arrived and fortunately a plentiful supply of water was available and the brigade worked furiously to get the fire under control. Hundreds of people were attracted to the spot by the glare and every now and then as some new part caught fire the sparks ascended and descended like a sky rocket. Thousands of gallons of water were poured into the premises and the destruction of the whole block was prevented.
The general confusion was added to by the constant bursting of bottles and shattering of glass etc. in the shop and dispensing department. The roof, considering the flames were fiercest in the top story held up well and it was about 3am when it fell in with an awful crash.

Above: The morning after the fire.

At about 7 a.m. in the morning the remains of the young lady, charred beyond recognition, were discovered on a burnt bed in the debris, having evidently fallen through when the roof gave way. It is thought that she left her mother and sister coming downstairs, returning with the purpose of saving the servant. Exit by means of the stairs was impossible and the servant realising this escaped from the window begging the deceased to follow. She was either too frightened to do so or was overcome by the smoke and sank back unconscious on the bed that her remains were found lying on, there to meet her fate.
The cause of the fire was attributed to mice gnawing matches and the remains of Miss Ellen Gertrude Cooke were buried in Boston cemetery on Thursday 12^th September 1906.

Below: The scene today.