St. Thomas' church Skirbeck Quarter Boston

[FrankAT]

Firstly, can you advise me please on how to quickly get to this thread from login?

It would seem feasible, Pam, that the dead of Skirbeck Quarter would be taken, possibly by road, to the church of St Nicholas. There were indeed two river crossings the one you all have spoken of and another I suspect would have been closer to the dock area, possibly even using the most direct route, that is; crossing the river directly opposite St Nicholas to the south bank, and visa versa.
There were no vicars at the time of the 'Tin Tabernacle', Pam. All were Curates. Rev'd Albert Lombardini was the very first vicar and he turned the first sod of earth to establish the permanent, and present, church on the 1st June 1911. He only established the church by enormous efforts of fund raising etc. He didn't become the very first vicar, that was given to one, Rev'd Edward Nicholls.

The churchyard of the present St Thomas's church was never consecrated for burials. Mr Jebb, the benefactor maintained that the churchyard should be the resting place of the faithful of St Thomas's Church only and not be used by all and sundry. Big ethical discussions ensued.
I would say that your loved ones are most certainly buried in the churchyard of St Nicholas. Holy Trinity would be my next port of call but they became a separate parish before Skirbeck Quarter.

Back soon

[pamthomas]

Frank,
Thank you for putting me straight on the precise 'title' of the clergy of the 'Tin Tabernacle'.

Very interesting about St Thomas' churchyard never being consecrated for burials, and being only for the attendees of the church. Do you know if that is still the case today?

It would explain why mum's sister (never having been baptised) was refused burial in the churchyard (in 1916), and had to be buried in St Nicholas. Her baby brother died in 1910, so that is the easy explanation why he was buried at St Nicholas.

I very much doubt a river crossing near St Nicks.
The only way to a crossing on the south side of the river would have been either along the bank, or along the wider footpath - I hesitate to call it a lane, and it certainly never saw a piece of tarmac in its life  - that ran/runs at the bottom of the bank.
Can't speak for the present day as it's probably rotted away by now, but I know that there was a small jetty almost immediately opposite St Nicks church, but that was used for a signal light, because if an incoming ship didn't keep well over to Nicks side of the the river they would end in the mud. (Said mud is very evident at low tide, and is marked on all maps.)
A ferry would also have to be careful not to interfere with shipping going into the dock as well as the fishing smacks going further up-river to the quay at London Road. Plus I'm sure that they would have had ships going even further up-river to where the Haven Bridge is today as I can remember the 'fairy boats' which took flour to the mills there. (As opposed to the 'polly boats' which took timber to the wharves near the Swing Bridge.  )

I've looked at Old-Maps online, and an 1889 map shows two ferries. One crossing from near the petrol station at the top of London Road***  to land just south of where the swimming baths were in ye good olde days.
The other crossed from the bottom of Pulvertoft Lane to the top of Skirbeck Road.
http://www.bostonuk.com/largeimage.php?id=848&type=Past%20Images&f=Boston
http://www.bostonuk.com/largeimage.php?id=847&type=Past%20Images&f=Boston

(*** Very off-topic - I've suddenly realised why what used to be the clinic at the top of Stells Lane was
called Ferry House!  )

Not being very 'techie' my reply about getting to the thread easily, is probably not the correct answer. For a starter, I never sign out of the forum, but I also have the Lincolnshire forum bookmarked. I can't see any reason why you can't bookmark this particular thread, and then when you want to sign in, just click the bookmark, and I think you should still get a prompt to sign in, and then come straight into the thread.
Worth trying anyway, until someone comes up with a better answer. 

[Geoff-E]

You could click on "My profile", then "see last messages of this Rootschatter".

[FrankAT]

Thank you, Geoff. I tried it and it worked.

Frank.

[FrankAT]

It looks as though you have the solution to the ferry site. I have always found in my searches that the simplest thing to look for is a name and, bingo,. I know from my searches for the origins of a lane in the country is that it was named after a family that lived there (Jenkins, and Lentons Lanes in Leverton, for example).
So one crossing would land the passengers at the juntion of Skirbeck Road and St Johns Road (outside the New Park Inn) and the other slightly further towards the dock swing bridge when they would walk past the swimming baths and where the hospital was eventually built.
I had a look at the photos and they certainly show the Stells Lane - Skirbeck Road ferry. The one behind the petrol station (still there) would have been nearer to Oxford Street

I will ask about the churchyard but I am pretty sure there is still a big question mark over it. The problem originated because Mr Jebb left it 'tied' to his wishes and the church hiearchy wouldn't get involved. It is almost full, by the way, so soon there will be no nedd to worry either way.
Thinking about it further, though, I know that the vicars of today conduct funeral services there so the must be a religious aspect. I will see.

[Redroger]

Pam, I think we had a conversation about crossings of the Haven some three years ago in a slightly different context concerning Skirbeck Quarter and services conducted at St. Thomas' by the Curate of Skirbeck. My re-collection is that we agreed there had been two ferries, one near the Grammar school, and one in the area where London Road become High Street, now the petrol station. Bridges were at Grand Sluice, Town Bridge, and latterly the railway swing bridge to Boston dock, which was used as a public right of way certainly in the 1970s. The path at the bottom of the bank on the south side of the river 60 years ago only led to the fields on that side. Personally I don't believe a coffin would ever be taken across the river to reach St. Nicholas' by boat, on any of the ferries, unless of course someone can show otherwise. The only realistic way would be via the town bridge. I well believe though that once it was open mourners might use the dock bridge to attend a service. It was a brilliant short cut for people living in Skirbeck Quarter to visit Skirbeck.

Like you, Pam, I enjoyed Butlers' lollies, 60+ years ago.

[FrankAT]

Hi all.
To the Butlers lollies first. The street was called 'Rowell Row' and the shop you talk of was on the sharp bend into the 'Low Road'. There used to be the 'Coop' shop at the top of the road, adjoining London Road, after the Police houses were 'decomissioned'. The premises are now converted to flats. Just around the sharp bend, bollards haver been erected to stop all but smaller vehicles entering the Low Road from that point.
Yes, I think you must be right about the coffins being taken over the river, RR. It would not be feasible, and open to all sorts of calamities. The sensible route was, of course, round by the road.

Apparently the churchyard of Saint Thomas's was 'Dedicated' and not 'Consecrated' which makes a lot of difference to the way the matters of a churchyard are conducted.

I will enquire as to what the arrangements are now.

[Redroger]

When I first attended St. Thomas' school the address was given as Rowell Row Skirbeck Quarter Boston, this was in April 1945. The sign Rowell Row was still visible on the first house at both ends of the streetinto the 1950s, next to the Police station which was still a station in the late 1950s, and then became a Co-op. Previously it had been on London Road at the corner, where I lived as a new baby with my parents and grandmother from March -June 1940 in the flat above it. When the Co-op moved across the road, it was taken by Borrill's bakery as a fish and chip shop, I am not sure as to whether Borrill's fish and chips, replaced the chippy in the pre-fab between the railway line and Railway Hotel at the top of Wyberton West Road, opposite Stinson's garage, or was the cause of that shop's failing.The bollards will be vital to stop people in Marsh Lane and WLR suffering severe nuisance from lorries short cutting to the industrial estate and the tip. Where do they gain access now?

[pamthomas]

When I first attended St. Thomas' school the address was given as Rowell Row Skirbeck Quarter Boston, this was in April 1945. The sign Rowell Row was still visible on the first house at both ends of the streetinto the 1950s, next to the Police station which was still a station in the late 1950s, and then became a Co-op. Previously it had been on London Road at the corner, where I lived as a new baby with my parents and grandmother from March -June 1940 in the flat above it. When the Co-op moved across the road, it was taken by Borrill's bakery as a fish and chip shop, I am not sure as to whether Borrill's fish and chips, replaced the chippy in the pre-fab between the railway line and Railway Hotel at the top of Wyberton West Road, opposite Stinson's garage, or was the cause of that shop's failing.The bollards will be vital to stop people in Marsh Lane and WLR suffering severe nuisance from lorries short cutting to the industrial estate and the tip. Where do they gain access now?

Eh, the good old days watching two lorries trying to go round Butler's Corner at the same time.  (Like trying to get two buses through Narrow Bargate!)
RR - lorries nowadays go through what was (the major part of) the gardens of numbers 83 and 85 WLR.
http://g.co/maps/eh5wn
as viewed from Marsh Lane, with WLR going left and right (right going to Butlers Corner), and the new road going to the 'new' A16 which runs along the old Boston to London (via Kirton, Spalding, and Peterborough!) railway track.
Access to the tip is via the 'new' Marsh Lane - as it nears the junction with Slippery Gowt Lane they've built a new section, and the old section is now called Heron Way, accessible only by vehicle from Slippery Gowt Lane. I'd have a few quid in my pocket if I had a pound for every time I've walked or cycled 'round the block' from WLR round Marsh Lane and Slippery Gowt Lane.