NOSTALGIA: Work on Haven Bridge in 1965 and the building which stood in the way of a roundabout

Above and below, we see work on the bridge itself, looking from South End to High Street.

The Standard described it as ‘the vitally-important, congestion-breaking bridge’, noting it was the first phase in the inner relief road (what would become known as John Adams Way).

Further down the page, we see the derelict ‘Ingelow House’, in South Square.

Boston Corporation had wanted to demolish it to provide a roundabout at the approach to Haven Bridge, but the Royal Fine Art Commission objected and won a battle to preserve it.

Corporation plans were modified to incorporate traffic lights instead of a roundabout.

The commission wanted to maintain the ‘sense on enclosure’ of South Square, but, as the Standard pointed out, by 1965 this had been lost due to the demolition of adjoining warehouses.

The building – originally Bank House – took its name from writer Jean Ingelow who was born nearby and moved there when her original home burnt down, before leaving the town aged 14.