Chesterfield, Derbyshire - a photo on Flickriver

Chesterfield, Derbyshire

            St Mary and All Saints
Church of England

About The Spire

The spire was added to the 14th century tower about the year 1362. The structure is an oak frame, clad with lead, and an interior view of the timber frame is one of the most remarkable sights in the whole church. Where the top of the stone tower and base of the wooden spire meet no fixing is apparent, so that the spire merely sits balanced unattached on the top of the tower.

It rises to a height of 70m (228') above the ground and leans 2.89m (9' 6'') to the south-west. The spiral twist at the base is about 45° from west to east.

Why is it crooked?

It is important to distinguish two elements in the spire’s ‘crookedness.’ Firstly the inclination and secondly the twist. It is unfortunate that most people use the word ‘crooked’ unhelpfully, combining the above two features.

The inclination (lean) is due to a number of factors: the use of unseasoned (green) timber, the absence of skilled craftsmen (Black Death) and the neglect of cross-bracing.

The spiral twist is considered to be by design.

Why was the spire built from ‘green timber’?

The use of ‘green timber’ was a normal part of medieval carpentry, owing to the fact that it could be bent and shaped during construction. It was also less wearing on tools.

Recent examples of the use of ‘green oak’ are to be found in York Minster, Windsor Castle and the Globe Theatre in London.

Taken on: March 29, 2009

Tags:

Chesterfield

Derbyshire

Anglican

Church of England

CofE

Panasonic

Lumix TZ5

England

United Kingdom

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Sets appears in: • Chesterfield (St Mary & All Saints) All pics • Chesterfield (St Mary & All Saints) 2009

Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ5, f/3.3, 1/1000 sec, 4.7mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-TZ5
Aperture:	f/3.3
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1000)
Focal Length:	4.7mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Landscape
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Saturation:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Macintosh
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