Boston

Well placed for servicing the Midlands, Boston has a very good import and export relationship with the near continent and Scandinavia. Major arterial routes take containers in transit, west from the port and towards Nottingham (55 miles). On reaching Nottingham cargo can be transported north or south via the M1 motorway. Travelling south transported containers will reach major destinations, such as, Leicester (82 miles), Milton Keynes (135 miles), Luton (150 miles), and London (183 miles). Travelling North via the M1 motorway destinations would include, Doncaster (104 miles), Leeds (127 miles), Darlington (182 miles), and Newcastle (216 miles). Branching off from the M1 and joining the M6 motorway would take containers in transit, into the heart of the Midlands, and Birmingham (106 miles).

The history of Boston as a port is well documented and in the 12th century it became one of the major ports of medieval England. It was thriving in the export of wool, lead and salt, whilst importing, fine cloth, wine, leather, spices and other luxury goods from Europe. By the late 13th century a third of all wool exports out of England went through the port of Boston, and at the start of the 14th century, nearly 2 million litres of wine were imported per annum via the port. In the 1760’s vast fens to the west of Boston started producing arable crops. These crops needed to be delivered inland by river and around the coast by sea, to towns of increasing population. The port of Boston was again diversifying and flourishing with a new trade.

One hundred years later with the inception of the Great Northern Railway, port of Boston went into decline, and the ports prosperity declined. At the start of the 20th century, through investment and development, the port of Boston once again found its feet and started a revival of foreign traffic, and over the last 100 years has constantly expanded.