St Botolph's Town
Anonymous
St. Botolph's Town!—Hither across the plains
And fens of Lincolnshire, in garb austere,
There came a Saxon monk, and founded here
A priory, pillaged by marauding Danes,
So that thereof no vestige now remains;
Only a name, that spoken loud and clear.
And echoed in another hemisphere,
Survives the sculptured walls and painted panes.
St. Botolph's Towm!—Far over leagues of land
And leagues of sea looks forth its noble tower.
And far around the chiming bells are heard;
So may that sacred name for ever stand
A landmark, and a symbol of the power
That Hes concentred in a single word.
St Botolph lived in the seventh century AD.
The church tower at Bolton was modelled on Antwerp Cathedral.
