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Summary

Hussey Tower, Boston

Full description

Hussey Tower is a red brick building dated 1489. It belonged to Lord Hussey who was beheaded by Henry VIII in 1537, for failing to suppress the Lincolnshire Rising. {1}
A square brick tower with octagonal stair turret at the north-east corner. It is three storeys high with a portion of crenulated parapet surviving. Some square-headed windows with stone surrounds and some earlier arched brick openings are visible. At ground level there is a rib-vaulted chamber with a hearth and a further hearth at first floor level. The staircase has a finely moulded brick inset handrail in good condition, but the steps are fairly worn and a number are missing. The roof line of another building is visible against the east wall which has a sizeable crack showing. Generally the tower is in a fairly poor condition. A tower house type of building. {2}
In a rental of the guild of Corpus Christi 'Richard Benyngton Toure' is mentioned in 1489 and the name Benyngton Tower appears again in 1564. The original extent of Hussey Hall unknown, but the gatehouse was demolished in 1565 and probably fronted the southern end. The enclosure wall within which the tower stands is ancient and many foundations may be traced within it. In the 18th and 19th centuries, various buildings were taken down, including a 'brewhouse' and mill house. {3}{4}{5}
Remains of the Hussey Tower stand within the iron railways surrounded by warehouses and playing fields. {6}
A trench was excavated at right angles to the tower to a depth of 3m; all the pottery found dated to the 15th century. {7}
For detailed surveys of the surviving structure, including plans, elevations, and structural details as well as the history of the building and its context see T. Smith (1979), N. Pevsner (1989) and the building report of RCHME (1992). {9}{10}{12}
A late 14th century or early 15th century brick tower 40 feet high and 30 feet square with an octagonal turret at the south-east angle. There are crenellated parapets and a rib-vaulted ground floor. Originally called Benyington Tower, it was sold to the Boston Corporation and dismantled after 1545 when Lord Hussey was attainted. {11}
The scheduling was revised 16 April 1999. {13}
A feasibility study for re-roofing the tower was carried out in 2005, including a detailed photographic building survey and condition survey carried out in 2004. The building was shown to be in reasonable condition but currently at risk from the weather, pigeons and vandalism. For a detailed description of the tower and its current state as well as photographs, plans, elevations and architect's drawings as well as proposals for a new roof, see the survey report. {14}

Monument Types

• Hall (Medieval - 1400 AD to 1539 AD)
• TOWER (Medieval to Modern - 1489 AD to 2050 AD)
• TOWER HOUSE (Medieval - 1489 AD to 1536 AD)

Associated Events

• Historic building survey - Hussey Tower, Boston
• Site visit to Hussey Tower

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument
• Listed Building

Sources and further reading

Related records

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