Follow the story in both directions.

Lincolnshire

A day in the town that gave the name.

Boston is compact enough to do properly in a day, and the flatness of the Fens means you can always see where you are going.

• St Botolph's Church, the Stump tower and the parish library — check current access and tour arrangements with the Parish of Boston.
• Boston Guildhall museum on South Street — the cells and courtroom associated with the Pilgrims' detention. Check current admission arrangements with the museum.
• Scotia Creek in Fishtoft, the memorial to the 1607 failed escape, a short walk or drive from the town centre.
• The Haven and South Street, the quayside that made the town's fortune, with the 1725 Customs House in view.
• Maud Foster Windmill and Fydell House, both on the water, both telling you what the port's wealth actually looked like.
• The Saturday market — the oldest continuous reason the town exists.

Massachusetts

The city that kept the name.

In Boston, Massachusetts the founding of 1630 sits under the Revolution that everyone already knows about, so it takes a little more looking. The places below are the ones that point back across the water.

• The First Church in Boston on Berkeley Street, the congregation John Cotton joined in 1633, and its Cotton Memorial of 1907.
• The Founders Memorial on Boston Common, erected for the 1930 tercentenary, and the Boston Common Memorial of 1913.
• The Anne Hutchinson statue by Cyrus Dallin on the Massachusetts State House front grounds.
• The Massachusetts State House gates, where the coat of arms of Boston, Lincolnshire — three crowns on black — is set into the ironwork.
• Beacon Hill and the Shawmut Peninsula, the three-hooped hill that was called Trimount before it was called Boston.
• The Old North Church and the Freedom Trail, for the century that came after the founding.

The objects

A trail of things that crossed the water.

One way to follow this relationship is through commemorative gifts and memorials. Boston 400 records the milestones below. These are published historical accounts, not a confirmation that each object remains accessible or in its original location today.

• 1849 — six seals from old Boston presented to the City of Boston.
• 1857 — the Cotton Chapel in St Botolph's restored to sacred use by citizens of Boston, Massachusetts.
• 1879 — a tracery window given to Boston, Massachusetts from Boston, Lincolnshire.
• 1907 — the Cotton Memorial installed in the First Church, Boston.
• 1919 — a box and a section of the Boston Guildhall railing presented to Boston, Massachusetts.
• 1930 — the Governors Plaque installed in St Botolph's, and the Lincolnshire coat of arms set on the Ashburton Gate.

A two-sided walking trail is a proposal. Object locations and access need checking against the holding institutions before a visitor itinerary can be described as verified.

Planning

Getting there, honestly.

Boston, Massachusetts is an easy international arrival — a major airport and a compact city. Boston, Lincolnshire is the harder half of the trip and we should say so rather than hide it: it is a market town, not a hub, and the journey needs planning.

From London, a rail journey typically involves a connection onto services to Boston. Check a current journey planner for the route, connections and engineering works on your travel date. Confirm church, tower, library and museum access directly before booking.

The good news is that the difficulty is the point. A place that is slightly inconvenient to reach is a place you visit deliberately, stay longer in, and remember.