Rochford Tower

Rochford Tower, also known as, or recorded in historical documents as Kyme Tower and Richmond Tower are the standing and buried remains of a medieval brick fortified house.

The house is believed to have been built in the late 15th to early 16th century. The building formerly included a two storey range adjoining the north side of the tower. This range was dismantled in 1807.

The tower is rectangular in plan, measuring 9 metres by 8 metres, and stands four storeys high, with a parapet and turrets at the angles of the tower. The structure is mainly of red brick with stone window dressings. At ground floor level there is a brick vaulted chamber.

The tower was formerly part of a larger building, shown by the bonding scars of a two storey range on the exterior of the northern wall of the tower. The range, forming part of the domestic accommodation, was provided with a communicating doorway to the tower at second storey level.

Dig in the Market Place

In October 1965 Boston Corporation workmen excavated a sewer trench at the south end of Boston Market Place in a line across from the Peacock and Royal Hotel towards the centre of the Exchange Buildings opposite.

A sample of material was collected from the excavation. The bulk of this came from a black silty layer at a depth of 3-4 feet from the modern road surface, and consisted chiefly of cow horn, leather insoles, green glazed pottery, metal fragments and nine bone or wood awls, presumably for leather working. The more complete pieces of leather sole were dated almost certainly to the fifteenth century. It seems possible that the material was deposited from cobblers' shops or stalls at the side of the Market Place.
Medieval and later pottery was recovered from the site of the former Peacock and Royal Hotel.