32 CONTEXT 175 : MARCH 2023 MARC KNIGHTON Boston’s Inns on the Edge The Inns on the Edge project recorded almost 100 historic pub sites in Boston, Lincolnshire, many demolished or converted, and fewer than a third still trading. Pubs are among the most familiar and recognisable buildings in towns and villages throughout England.Yet this class of building is disappearing from our landscape at an alarming rate. The last few years have been particularly tough on pubs, following the impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Currently around 30 pubs are closing each month and last year almost 400 closed for good. Despite the worrying rate of closures, pubs are increasingly seen as an essential part of our shared identity, helping to tell the country’s story. For this reason, Historic England has launched a series of initiatives to help understand the historic development of pubs in order to better protect them. Inns on the Edge, one such project, looked at the heritage of historic pubs along the Lincolnshire coast. The project has recently concluded, having surveyed the status and condition of over 300 pub sites (past and present) along 50 miles of coastline between Grimsby and Boston. The port town of Boston has a long history of drinking establishments stretching back Marc Knighton recording on Boston’s Wormgate Boston Market Place and St Botolph’s Church
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