Editing St Botolph's Church, Boston (section)

==Restoration==
[[File:St Botolph's Boston ext.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The stump in March 2012]]
Early restoration work to repair war damage was carried out during the 17th and the 18th centuries. The organ, lost in the Reformation, was replaced in 1715.

From 1851 to 1853, a major period of [[Victorian restoration]] occurred. [[Nottingham]] architect George Place worked on the church as lead architect, under the direction of [[George Gilbert Scott|Gilbert Scott]]. The changes they oversaw included the removal of the tower ceiling and the addition of stone vaulting, as originally featured in the medieval plans. Place was responsible for the design of the east window, based on that of [[All Saints' Church, Hawton]] in [[Nottinghamshire]], and the original design for the choirstall canopies. The high quality of craftmanship at the end of the 19th and the early 20th centuries is demonstrated here, particularly in the carved wood and stained glass. [[Augustus Welby Pugin]] created the baptismal font, which dates from 1853.

Between 1929 and 1931, a major restoration project took place under the supervision of [[Sir Charles Nicholson, 2nd Baronet|Sir Charles Nicholson]]. The work included replacement of the nave roof and the installation of a new flat wooden ceiling, and strengthening of the tower. That entailed wooden scaffolding being erected up its entire height. Significant financial support for the restoration work came from the citizens of [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. The peal of bells in the tower was restored with a new bell frame, increasing the number of bells from eight to ten. This was increased again in 1951 to 15. The bells are now fitted on three racks of five, and were funded by a legacy.

Some restoration work began in 1979 in preparation for the 700th anniversary of the church. This programme, led by architect Nicholas Rank, was expected to cost something in the region of £3&nbsp;million. In 2005, The Boston Stump Restoration Trust and Development Appeal was launched to carry out restoration and development of Saint Botolph's Church. The process of restoring this ancient landmark is underway and to date (2013) has included cleaning and conservation of the tower and West Door, cleaning and restoration of the chancel and Cotton Chapel, and the building of new visitor facilities. The latter were officially opened by [[Anne, Princess Royal]] in July 2012.