Time In Parish Church
By Jasper B. Sinclair
Bostonians interested in horology could spend an enjoyable hour visiting the parish church in the English town of Boston, namesake of the American city. The architect must have stood with watch in one hand and calendar in the other while planning this building.
It is one of the largest parish churches in England, by the way. People in 1incolnshire call its 275 foot tower, visible for miles across the flat fens country, "Boston Stump" for no apparent reason at all.
This English church is the answer to the horologist's dream. There are seven doors to the church, representing the days of the week. There are twelve pillars in the nave, representing the months of the year.
Twenty-four steps climb up to the church library, representing the hours of the day. There are fifty-two windows in all, one for each week in the year. Sixty steps lead to the chancel roof, representing the seconds in a minute and the minutes in an hour.
Finally, if you are ambitious enough to find out for yourself, there are 365 steps winding up into the 275-foot tower the natives call "Boston Stump" - representing the days in the year. There should have been provision made for leap years as well.
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