The floodlights at Boston United’s old York Street grounds were taken down over the weekend.
The plot – which has stood vacant for years – is being cleared to make way for a £24.9m community diagnostic centre (CDC).
CDCs provide a wide range of diagnostic tests, such as CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasounds and x-rays. A ground-breaking ceremony for the Boston CDC took place in March, with the facility scheduled to open to patients in spring 2027.
Among those to capture the moment was former Boston United legend Chris Cook, who scored 181 times for the team (including at Wembley).
Sharing video footage with the Standard, he said: “Obviously, it’s very sad to see all the floodlights come down. I thought it would have been brilliant to see one remain as a memory of what was there before.
“Everyone used to say what a sight they were at night when passing through … or coming to a game!
“But we have to move on, and at the same time of the former home disappearing, the new home continues to grow with more fantastic facilities available for the whole community to use. Hopefully, Boston United's Jakemans Stadium will have some items remembering York Street.”
These photographs were shared with the paper by Shaun Stark, of Boston, who was driving past the ground when he spotted a crane and cherry picker by the floodlights.
“I was hoping they would remain there as a bit of history, so I pulled up to the site and started taking pictures,” he said.
“I’m not a football fan, but to me it’s Boston history and just seems a shame the flood lamps had to come down,” he added.
Shaun said he was also told by site workers that a 2ft penguin was removed from one of the floodlights.
“Apparently, a young lad placed it up there and the fire brigade had to get him down,” he said.
5. York Street floodlights dismantled
A crew member can just about be seen at the top of one of the floodlights. Photo: Shaun Stark
6. York Street floodlights dismantled
The penguin that was removed from the floodlights. Photo: Boston Standard
7. York Street floodlights dismantled
A photo from the Boston Standard's archives from November 1966. Boston United’s new floodlights were almost ready for testing, it was reported then. The Pilgrims would go on to install new floodlights following a fundraising effort in 1978. Photo: Boston Standard
8. York Street floodlights dismantled
Another photo from the Boston Standard archives, this time from the summer of '69. This shows 80-year-old Len Kirkham climbing to the top of one of the floodlights at Boston United’s ground for a bet. It took him less than three minutes to conquer the tower, which he put down to a life working in the building trade. Mr Kirkham still worked five days a week in the industry. Photo: Boston Standard