Boston Castle, Rotherham and the 3rd Earl of Effingham

Boston Castle, erected in 1776, was build for Thomas 3rd Earl of Effingham as a rural retreat and shooting lodge. The castle was considered to be “the whimsical indication of the Earl’s sympathy with his transatlantic fellow-countrymen”.

When Boston Castle was erected, the government of this country had imposed a tax upon tea on the American colonists, who had full power to tax themselves in a constitutional manner.

This act had excited a general spirit of hostility and ultimately led to the American war of Independence. The first obstinate battle was fought in the vicinity of Boston and from this event the shooting lodge was so named.

The Earl of Effingham resigned his commission in the army because he considered that his duty as a soldier superseded his duty as a citizen or could be compatible with the act of embarking upon a campaign against those in whose veins ran British blood and whose forefathers had sailed from Plymouth in the Mayflower.

The views from Boston hillside have been described and written about in verse over the centuries, most famously by Ebenezer Rhodes “The Corn Law Rhymer”

In the mid 18th century the Walker family, who were famous for the Walker cannons on HMS Victory, leased part of the Earl of Effingham’s estate to expand their iron founding businesses.

A century later the views were becoming more obscured by the murky atmosphere which emanated from the lofty chimneys and the flaming cones of the forges.

The iron and steel industry, along with the mining industry, provided Rotherham with much of its employment until the steel works closed their doors towards to end of 20th century, and by 2002 the Americans had imposed their own tax on steel.

Now Magna Science Adventure occupies that same space and our children can experience audio visual experiences connected with the steel industry – virtual reality!!

The Earl of Effingham forbade the drinking of tea at his Boston Castle, but hopefully sometime in the future, if funding for its restoration can be obtained, Boston Castle will again open its doors to the general public and tea and cakes can be enjoyed whilst the famous views, which stretch as far as the Peak District on a clear day, can be once again admired.