15,000 steps.

When we set out it was drizzling still but it soon stopped, but we never saw the sun. We went to suss out the Maud Foster Drain as we are thinking of going round there tomorrow. With the mooring situation I think we will give it a miss, especially as the mill will be closed any way. The Maud Foster was built in 1819 and is one of the tallest in the UK. It was built by Issac and Thomas Reckitt who couldn't really make it pay and moved to Hull, and became what we now know as Reckitt and Colman!

Maud Foster Mill, Boston. The black line running up the right hand side of the windows is a chain. At the bottom of which is a sign saying 'For attention please ring'.

We walked back through the Central park with an aviary and came out at the Centenary Methodist Church where we dropped some stuff at for charity.

Centenary Methodist Church, Boston. The very decorated front hides a simple brick back end.

After a bit of window shopping and lunch, and waiting for a funeral to finish we entered 'The Stump' or St Botolphs. This is another church that claims to be the largest parish church in England. Holy Trinity in Hull is another, but I think this one may well beat it. It was started in 1309 and the main church was completed 1390. The tower around 1425 and took about 90 years to finish. St Botolph was an Anglo Saxon noble who was sent to a Benedictine Abbey in France to be educated with his brother Adolph. His brother went on to be a Dutch Bishop but Botolph came home and founded the church here in Boston and after a lifetime of holy endeavour was given sainthood. The tidal surge earlier in the year had submerged the church to a depth of about a metre by the look of it but they are slowly getting it all sorted.

The Chancel, choir stalls and altar from the main body of the church.

We paid our money and they used a big key to open the door to allow us up 209 steps, 140 feet, to the viewing gallery up the tower. The shape of the lantern tower is what gave 'The Stump' it's name but nobody knows when the name started. There were views on all four sides. The weather was a bit misty but it was well worth the climb.

 The River Witham comes in to the top and arrives at the railway bridge and thew Grand Sluice. You can see the current caused by letting the water out of the river. Our mooring is the furthest from time and we are the boat that sticks the furthest out into the river.

County Hall.

Helen enjoying the rest after the climb. We were speculating about the square holes in the flying buttresses. We wondered whether it was either for reducing wind resistance or maybe were the scaffolding was secured.

Church Street.

This is a 15 Century building that was renocated in the 19th Century. It had a theatre added to the back and became the Shod Friars Theatre. It was here that Arthur Towle first trod the boards. Arthur Towle was better known as as Artur Lucan and even better known as 'Old Mother Riley'. We initially sold programmes and swept up but with an outbreak of measles and got his start. It is interesting to note that Old Mother Riley died on stage in Hull, on stage. Another Hull coincidence.

For those that are interested, Ann that is. here are the differences in the jigsaw puzzles we could find.

1.  Windmill sails.

2.  Horse and rider.

3.  Car is different colour.

4.  Mallard missing.

5.  Lock gate colour.

6.  Boat name colour.

7.  Extra bollard.

8.  Lamp post globe.

9.  Window boxes x 2.

10. Waitress in door way.

11. Cat/dog on roof of boat.

12. Swallow facing opposite direction.

13. Middle swan pointing other way.

14. Crested grebe/female mallard.

If you count two window boxes then that makes 15!

Oh yes the 15,000 steps in the title is how many steps we did walking around today.