Famous across the land, and a much-loved symbol for those living in Chesterfield, the Crooked Spire of St Mary’s and All Saints Church has not always been viewed upon favourably, as Scott Lomax reports.
IN AN ARTICLE IN THE GENTLEMAN’S MAGAZINE IN 1772, Chesterfield, and in particular its spire, the nickname by which the church is most commonly known, were described in these disparaging terms: ‘Chesterfield is a large town with nothing worthy of notice but the church, and this only for its ugliness; it is old, and built of bad stone, but rendered most disgusting by its wooden spire…’