Shodfriars Hall interior.

The outside of Shodfriar’s Hall is one of Boston's most photographed sites, but what of the inside? Here are a few pictures to give an idea of its interior.

The building comprises two conjoined buildings of different dates and styles, a fifteenth century L-shaped structure and a substantial red brick extension of 1874.

 

 The older of the two (described by Pevsner as ‘the ghost’ of a timber framed building) was heavily restored or, more correctly, reconstructed and much altered by J Oldrid Scott in 1874.

The hall was employed for much the same mix of uses as an old circuit theatre, that is, dances, public meetings and concerts, with occasional theatricals, the main difference being that touring theatre companies usually played for only a few nights on each visit.

There were big open fireplaces. A proscenium was inserted in 1905 and replaced by a presumably more permanent one in 1915 when the hall was also reseated and the public entrances improved, making regular theatrical presentations possible.

 It finally closed as a performance centre in 1929 and became a billiards hall.

 Since then, it has had continuing uses as snooker hall, night club, restaurant and shops.

The balcony, now disused, still has turned and twisted wooden balusters. A proposal to convert Shodfriars into an arts centre in 1944 proved abortive.

The Scala Cinema.

 
The building that is todays Poundstretcher shop in the Market Place is believed to have been built in 1851, this was to become the town’s old Scala Cinema, the original features from which remain largely intact today.

Scan of the original metal lettering which marked out the stalls in the upper circle, some of the original paint remains today.

The Scala Picture-House and Cafe was the first permanent built auditorium in Boston for the showing of films. It opened on 17th March 1914, with seating for around 1,000 people. In 1917, it was taken over by George Aspland-Howden who had opened the New Electric Theatre just five doors away in 1910.

Boston's Coat of Arms above the stage.

 

On Saturday 29th June 1940 it closed its doors for its annual staff summer holidays after the showing of `The Chicken Wagon Family` never to reopen as a public cinema.

It was then taken over by the Armed Forces until 1945, when all the fittings had been removed.

It remained unused for a few years, until it was converted into a furniture showroom, the stage and proscenium being knocked down and replaced by a brick wall.

The only room used above the shop today is the old cafeteria on the first floor, which is used for storage now.

On the second floor is the theatre’s old gallery – minus the seats. The main seating area below the gallery is now the shop floor with the wooden stage at the rear being used for a warehouse.

 

Bothamleys Clock

For many years Bothamleys (opposite the present Marks and Spencer store, in the premises now occupied by Timpson's key cutters and Thornton's chocolate shop) had a clock hung from the wall of this building. It had been in its present position for about sixty years and was still in working order when it was taken down in about 1927 when they gave up and sold off their stock.

The clock was due to be sold or scrapped but it was hoped that it would be spared and the suggestion was made that the Corporation might purchase it and erect it in the Cattle Market, Bargate Green or the Dock where it would continue a useful public service. The timepiece was operated from inside the premises, the works being operated with a rod.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bits.

George Wilson, Grocer, on the corner of Red Lion Street and Wormgate. 1909.

 

 

Dion's butcher cart whose shop was in Pen Street.

 

 

Rona the Rat Girl at Boston May Fair.

 

 
The official opening of the Town Bridge 1913.

 

Some Odd bits.

 

 

 

Bateman's brewery lorry parked opposite the Main Post Office in Wide Bargate.

 

Advert for Boston Garage.

 

 

Marshall Brothers lorry.

 

 

Holland Brothers advert.

 

Armes advert.

 

 

 

Hurst, Son and Page advert.

 

The Hotel the bomb destroyed.

Mr. Loveley's premises, The Albion Temperance & Commercial Hotel that stood at the corner of James Street and West Street. Mr. Loveley's two daughters were killed by a bomb dropped by a German plane in World War Two which destroyed the hotel.
For more on this story see Bombing and civilian deaths in world war two in the October 2012 section of this blog.
 

Freiston Shore.

Although the seaside town of Skegness is only 23 miles from Boston, most working class people with large families couldn't afford to go there on a regular basis and it was a real treat for us kids to have a day at "Skeggy." Four or five miles down the road however was Freiston Shore (the poor mans Skeggy) which was easily reached on a bike by us in the 1950's and 1960's.
There was no sandy beach there, Punch and Judy or amusements of any kind, all it consisted of was marshland, muddy creeks to bathe in, borstal boys and old gun placements designed to keep the Germans away if they tried to conquer England through Lincolnshire but it was all good fun for us and we had many a happy day playing there.
During the 1800's however, following the drainage of the fens, there was an attempt to make Freiston Shore a seaside resort.

As a result two hotels were built, the Plummers and the Marine which offered around a hundred rooms and folk would stay there for their holidays or make trips by the daily Boston omnibus to go swimming and picnicking. The picture below shows a horse race meeting there in 1844.

But the silt soon returned which made the sea retreat further from the hotels and their trade quickly declined.
In the 20th. century much of Freiston Shore was reclaimed again by embankments built by the borstal boys from the North Sea Camp. The two pictures below show the boys working and marching through Boston.

The Borstal camp is now an open prison and Freiston Shore itself is an RSPB Nature reserve, the largest example of such a project in the UK. where over 150 bird species recorded yearly.
The Picture below shows how the sea once came up to the Plummers Hotel.