- Chesterfield Parish Church
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Chesterfield Parish Church The Parish Church of St. Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield 
53°14′10″N 1°25′27″W / 53.236111°N 1.424167°WCoordinates: 53°14′10″N 1°25′27″W / 53.236111°N 1.424167°W Location Chesterfield, Derbyshire Country 
ENGDenomination Church of England Churchmanship High Church Website Official Website History Dedication St. Mary and All Saints Architecture Status Parish Church Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade I listed building Completed C14 Specifications Number of spires 1 Spire height 70m Materials Lead Administration Parish Chesterfield Deanery Chesterfield Archdeaconry Chesterfield Diocese Derby Province Canterbury Clergy Vicar(s) Michael Knight Laity Churchwarden(s) Mr John Gascoyne
Mr Jon SangwellChesterfield Parish Church is an Anglican church dedicated to Saint Mary and all saints, located in the town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England. Predominantly dating back to the 14th century, the church is a Grade I listed building and is most known for its twisted spire; an architectural phenomenon which has led to the church being given the common byname of the Crooked Spire. The largest church in Derbyshire, it lies within the Diocese of Derby, for which it forms part of the Archdeaconry of Chesterfield.[1][2]
Contents
Twisted spire
The Spire.
The spire was added to the 14th century tower in about 1362.[3] It is both twisted and leaning, twisting 45 degrees and leaning 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) from its true centre. The leaning characteristic was initially suspected to be the result of the absence of skilled craftsmen (the Black Death had been gone only twelve years prior to the spire's completion), insufficient cross-bracing, and the use of unseasoned timber.[citation needed]
However, it is now believed that the twisting of the spire was caused by the lead that covers the spire, which was added 300 years after it was built — before this it was covered with oak tiles.[citation needed] The lead causes this twisting phenomenon, because when the sun shines during the day the south side of the tower heats up, causing the lead there to expand at a greater rate than that of the north side of the tower, resulting in unequal expansion and contraction. Add that to the weight of the lead (approx. 33tons) which the spire was not originally designed to bear and that it was not sufficiently braced for the weight of the lead, the twisting effect that can be so clearly seen on the spire was inevitable. Also it was common practice to use unseasoned timber at the time the spire was built as when the wood was seasoned it was too hard to work with, so as unseasoned wood was used they would have made adjustments as it was seasoning in place. These theories can be rejected as there is evidence to suggest that the spire was straight for the first 300 years after it was built and as wood seasons within 50 years these theories now can hold no weight.[citation needed]
In the 19th century an oficial archetectural survey declared the spire unsafe and dangerous. The Town Council were ordered to take it down or make it safe. It is then that the, previously, free standing spire was attached to the main building using the Brunel bolting method, so named after the famous Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who pioneered this method of fixing stone to timber.
In common folklore, there are numerous explanations as to why the spire is twisted. One is that the spire was so shocked to learn of the marriage of a virgin in the church that it bent down to get a closer look. Should this happen again, it is said that the spire will straighten and return to its true position. Another is that a Bolsover blacksmith mis-shoed the Devil, who leaped over the spire in pain, knocking it out of shape. Many other such stories exist, these are two notable examples.[citation needed]
The tower upon which the spire sits contains ten bells. These bells were cast in 1947 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, replacing a previous ring. The heaviest weighs 25cwt. The place in which the bells are situated once held the builders windlass, which is one of the only examples of a medieval crane in existence and is the only example of one that has survived from a parish church. The windlass is now on display at Chesterfield Museum and Art Gallery.[citation needed]
It is this twisted spire that gives Chesterfield FC their nickname, 'The Spireites'.[citation needed]
Tours
The spire is open to the public most days (except Sundays and Good Friday) and can be climbed part way up.[citation needed] The views from the top of the tower on a clear day stretch for miles. The spire, which is used as a symbol of Chesterfield, can often be seen from the surrounding hill poking out of a sea of mist, on a winters morning.
Vicars
- Martin Lane 1558 - 1573
- Cuthbert Hutchinson 1573 - 1609
- Matthew Waddington 1616 - ?
- William Edwards 1638 - ?
- John Billingsley 1662 - 1663
- John Coope 1663 - ?
- John Lobley ? - 1694
- William Blakeman 1694 - 1699
- Henry Audsley 1699 - 1705
- John Peck 1705 - 1707
- William Higgs 1707 - 1716
- Thomas Hinckesman 1716 1739
- William Wheeler 1739 - 1765
- John Wood 1765 - 1781
- George Bossley 1781 - 1822
- Thomas Hill 1822 - ? (Archdeacon of Derby)
- George Butt ? - 1888
- Hon.Reginald Edmund Adderley 1888 - 1892
- Hon.Cecil James Littleton 1893 - 1898
- Egbert Hacking 1899 - 1905
- Edmond Francis Crosse 1905 - ? (Archdeacon of Chesterfield)
- Francis Longsdon Shaw 1918 - 1924
- Geoffrey Hare Clayton 1924 - 1934 (Archdeacon of Chesterfield)
- Talbot Dilworth-Harrison 1934 - ? (Archdeacon of Chesterfield)
- Thomas Wood Ingram Cleasby 1963 - 1970 (Archdeacon of Chesterfield)
- Thomas Ewart Roberts 1971 - 1975
- Henry Alexander Puntis
- Brian Hamilton Cooper 1982 - 1991
- Martyn William Jarrett 1991 - 1994
- Michael Richard Knight 1994 -
Organ
The vast majority of the original Snetzler organ (1756) was destroyed by fire in 1961. It was replaced in 1963 by a redundant T.C. Lewis organ from Glasgow. This is a large 4 manual pipe organ with 65 stops. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[4]
List of organists
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- Thomas Layland 1756 - ?
- Laurence Cornelius Nielson 1808 - 1830
- Thomas Tallis Trimnell
- Mr Vaughan
- Henry Norman Biggin 1875 - 1910
- J.F. Staton 1910 - 1938
- Reginald Cooper 1938 - ????
- Charles Alan Bryars 1947[5] - 1970
- Michael Baker 1970 - 2005
- Ian Brackenbury 2006–present
Gallery
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View of the church and spire.
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General view of Chesterfield from a distance, including the spire.
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The church in the 18th century as sketched by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm.
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The church in the snow, February 2009.
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The high altar.
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Church of St Mary and All Saints — "The Crooked Spire".
References
- ^ "The Chesterfield Parish Church". Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints. 2005. http://www.chesterfieldparishchurch.org.uk/index.php. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ "Crooked Spire Church". Visit Chesterfield & Bolsover. http://www.visitchesterfield.info/dms-derbyshire.asp?dms=13&venue=6012303. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ "About The Spire". Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints, UK. http://www.chesterfieldparishchurch.org.uk/spire_about.php. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ Derbyshire, Chesterfield: St. Mary and All Saints, Church Way (N01874), National Pipe Organ Register, UK, 2005.
- ^ Who's Who in Music (First Post War ed.). Shaw Publishing Ltd. 1949-50.
External links
Media related to Church of St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Church of England churches in Derbyshire
- Grade I listed churches
- Grade I listed buildings in Derbyshire
- Chesterfield
- Inclined towers
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
