Anybody live in or around Swineshead/Boston?!

[MummySharkDoodoododoo]

Hi, we are considering purchasing a house in Swineshead, Boston. But worried that Boston has a bad rep. The house we are looking at his rural without neighbours so we are hoping it would be ok. But as we dont know the area, we dont want to end up living somewhere really rough!
We are coming from London, so will have much more space and land than we are used to.
I have googled but most answers are talking about Boston town, but we are looking at a property outside of the village of Swineshead.

I'd be so grateful if anybody has any information!

Anybody? 🤞

Hello!

I live the Spalding side of this area.
It's ok, worse places to live.
But there is no cultural life in the area.
You'd need Lincoln or Cambridge. Peterborough doesn't have much to offer especially as John Lewis there closed down.

It can be a bit racist, big Eastern European migration was not well received but in many ways the behaviour of some tarnished the rest.
This area was one of the most pro Brexit in the UK

Property prices are low but then it's easy to get trapped in the area as then you can't afford to buy anywhere else.

But it depends where you come from.
I'd rather be here than in a rough urban area.
Where will you work?Do you have DC that need schools?
It's ok for younger children but nothing for teenagers.

Happy to answer more if needed

I drove past Swineshead last weekend and I thought the countryside around was the ugliest and most depressing I’ve seen in a while: root vegetable fields, the A17 and truck stops. If you bring up teenagers there, they will never forgive you.

But also big sky sunsets, golden rapeseed fields, daffodil, linseed and sunflowers.
And pumpkins. Lincolnshire is UK pumpkin capital.
Buy a pumpkin and throw it away!

No snow in winter to speak of.

Thank you both for your replies.
We did see millions of Pumpkins everytime we looked at a house!

I dont mind that there isn't much around, that's attractive to us, coming from a london borough where you cant leave the house without people everywhere and constantly crime everywhere.

I do have eary teens. But there is a bus that goes to both Spalding and Boston, and we would have space on our land to have somewhere for them to bring friends round - an outbuilding perhaps.

@MummySharkDoodoododoo it's worth stating that it's a Grammar School area.
I'm familiar with the Spalding schools and if you want to ask here or PM, please do.
Cracking bookshop/cafe in Spalding.

[quote Bigwasp]@MummySharkDoodoododoo it's worth stating that it's a Grammar School area.
I'm familiar with the Spalding schools and if you want to ask here or PM, please do.
Cracking bookshop/cafe in Spalding. [/quote]
Thank you. I'd love to PM you but I cant work out how 🙈
I havent really used PM feature before!
I have schools in mind but not sure we will get the spaces as it would be mid year admissions.

I am aware there are grammar schools, we don't have them in our current area so not sure how it would work. My eldest 2 probably would have gone to grammar school if they were there when they were younger, but as they are already in secondary, I think it might be difficult? My youngest 2 have SEN so wouldnt be going to grammar schools.

Best to do it from the App not the website.
Photo should be attached

Click on message poster

I dont have the option to message poster! I'm using the app though. I will try again tomorrow on the laptop!
Sorry I'm being useless!

@HeddaGarbled

I drove past Swineshead last weekend and I thought the countryside around was the ugliest and most depressing I’ve seen in a while: root vegetable fields, the A17 and truck stops. If you bring up teenagers there, they will never forgive you.

This Plus Boston is awash with rough sleepers, there is a palpable tension between “locals” and non locals I wouldn’t buy in that area it’s strangely depressing and tense. You would be likely driving kids everywhere

Boston is a grim town and there’s little to nothing to do round there. I grew up nearby and it’s just depressing.

I'll be honest Boston isn't that nice
I'd look at Lincoln or Newark and the surrounding villages
If you still want easy access to London then Collingham is a good option

Thanks. Does this all apply to Swineshead or just Boston town/centre?!

I grew up in a village between Boston and Spalding. Granted tiny bits of Spalding are pretty (Ayscoughfee House and Gardens, and Springfields) the rest of the greater area is a hole, unless you are into industrial strength cider and weed.

Really, do NOT inflict it on your children. Go to Stamford or Grantham.

I live in swineshead. The village is actually lovely, some very nice people, couple of shops, very nice pub and another renovated one opening soon. The countryside is impressive but frustrating if you like to walk/run. Boston is rough, but Lincoln/Stamford/notts isn't that far away.

@Sarahlou63

I grew up in a village between Boston and Spalding. Granted tiny bits of Spalding are pretty (Ayscoughfee House and Gardens, and Springfields) the rest of the greater area is a hole, unless you are into industrial strength cider and weed.

Really, do NOT inflict it on your children. Go to Stamford or Grantham.

Thing is we are moving so that we can have a much bigger property with some land. We cant get that for our budget in Stamford or Grantham

I grew up in Lincolnshire from 12 till 18. I hated it. Still get shivers if I have to go back. School in spilsby, a tiny market town, then college 20 miles away, by bus and bike, in Boston. We lived in the middle of nowhere, on the fens. It's a hole. Literally nothing there for teens, no prospects, no culture, it's a massive shithole. The idilic rural life thing is lovely if you're a middle class middle aged white family, not so much if you're a teen or unusual in any way! I got into my own kind of trouble there, just as much as I would have done had I lived in a big city and I left home as soon as I possibly could...I made my own trouble whwn it wasn't readily available...

Lincoln is nicer, Peterborough is a shithole... Cambridge much nicer.

Sorry to be so blunt but I hated growing up there so so much...

I don't know why Stamford always gets mentioned on threads like this, most people moving to the fens are looking for land which you won't get in Stamford and if they could afford Stamford prices it's unlikely they'd be looking at the Fens in the first place 🙄 it's also stuffy and overpriced in my opinion with shit roads, nightmare to drive through. The secondary school isn't much to shout about with its own issues, because the wealthier ones use the private schools. Lovely to visit but overrated to live in.

I actually quite like Peterborough, not supposed to say that but there's quite a lot going on there now although the city centre has taken a hit in the pandemic sadly.

I'm not sure I'd raise 4 kids in Swineshead though, I'd look East Midlands where it's still good value but a bit closer to other civilisation. Bourne is quite nice and affordable (but less so than Boston way). Crowland and Cowbit are cheap and not as remote. There are some nice villages on the A1 towards Grantham.

I'm so confused! I posted the same question on a different site and got 100% positive feedback about Swineshead. But posting on here its pretty much all very negative!
I think something to point out is that we WANT a remote location, for various reasons. We dont mind driving the kids around (we do this anyway here as I don't want the kids on london transport on their own). So that part of it isn't a negative to us. Also there is a bus that goes to both Boston and Spalding so cant really see how the kids would be too isolated? Not arguing, just trying to understand as I dont want to make a big mistake but have fallen in love with the house. Big barn conversion with land for our animals.

How can fields be depressing? Coming from London it's hard to understand this, as I love the idea of being surrounded by countryside!

@MummySharkDoodoododoo mumsnet is very postcode snobby. We live in a very undesirable postcode that mumsnet hates, but we're very happy, it's affordable, safe, and has good schools- it's just not very pretty and no "cafe culture!". You need to take mumsnet with a pinch of salt, people have given you their concerns, if you feel they aren't relevant for your family, disregard them.

Thank you. As long as the area is safe and welcoming I'm not bothered about anything else really. We are the kind of people who prefer to keep ourselves to ourselves, hense the house without neighbours!

The flatness either bothers you or it doesn't.

Have you checked the house itself has decent broadband if its isolated (not what Rightmove says).

Have you visited not in summer when its dark and muddy?

I suspect the reason people have been negative about that part of the world is because they grew up there (like me) and found it depressing and boring. There was never anything to do or to go to until you were old enough to sit in a pub. There’s a certain mentality to the area, it was one of the areas where the vote for Brexit was high. Fine, if that’s your thing. I’m sure there are people who like living there; my parents do, but they are rather dull people who aren’t interested in restaurants, museums, art, live music, farmers markets etc. We’re all different, but if my parents didn’t live in the fens I would never step foot in the place. Also, yes, check it out when it’s wet and cold and the wind is whistling over the flats.

It all so much depends on you and your family.

I do have eary teens. But there is a bus that goes to both Spalding and Boston, and we would have space on our land to have somewhere for them to bring friends round - an outbuilding perhaps.

It depends on your teens too! There are plenty of teens in Spalding and Boston who would like nothing better than to get out and go somewhere with a bit of life. Getting on a bus to Spalding would not cut it for many I think, and maybe not going to a hut in a field, but you know your kids and we don't!