Pubs & Past Times in Historic Boston

Welcome to our tour of Boston's historic pubs, created for Lincolnshire's Heritage Open Days 2020, with the theme 'The Past & Pastime: the Heritage of Lincolnshire's Leisure'! This tour is inspired by a collection of photos of pubs that were operated by the former Soames Brewery that was recently donated to the Lincolnshire Historic Environment Record and the Lincolnshire Archives. Information about the history and development of Boston is taken from the  Lincolnshire Extensive Urban Survey report , the Historic Environment Record and the British Newspaper Archive.

The Soames Brewery was established in 1889, when it took over the former Bugg Brewery premises in Spalding. Soames grew to become a large south Lincolnshire brewing company, controlling over 200 pubs and establishments in the region by the time it was bought out by Steward and Patteson of Norwich in 1949. The Soames brand name continued to be used for some years afterwards, however, and inventories of the former Soames pubs were made in the mid 20th century. These inventories included photographs of the pub exteriors, some of which can be seen in the tour. 

The tour starts and finishes at the Market Place in the centre of Boston. If you decide to visit Boston in person and do the self guided walk, please dress for the weather, wear good walking shoes, and follow all guidance around Covid-19, social distancing and masks. The whole walk, as marked out below, is about 8km (5 miles). Feel free to do the whole thing, or stick to the central area of the tour as well. Keep an eye out for other historic buildings and pubs while on the walk!

The  Historic Places team , based within Lincolnshire County Council, cares for the historic environment of the county. Operating largely in the planning system, the team ensure that the historic environment is taken into account as part of development control. This includes the  Historic Environment Record , which is a digital, map-based record of our knowledge of all archaeological investigations and monuments within the county. This information is freely available to the public and is used as part of the planning process. The team undertake and manage heritage projects, collaborating with arts and culture teams, to improve the heritage offer and efficacy of the culture sector of the county. One current project, in collaboration with Historic England, is the  Extensive Urban Survey , which is looking at the history and development of 30 Lincolnshire towns. The  Portable Antiquities Scheme for Lincolnshire  also operates within the team, working with the public to record finds and treasure discovered within the county.

For more information and stories about Lincolnshire's history and archaeology, find us on twitter  @HistPlacesLincs . For more information about Boston, check out the  Extensive Urban Survey report  or connect on twitter  @UrbanSurvey .