It was Spring 2011, perhaps I'd been to hospital and I had some time to play with ... I can't recall ... but I found myself in the Church of St Mary and All Saints in Chesterfield.
If you know the church at all you'll probably know it better as the Crooked Spire ...
It was rather dull outside so I went in to look around ... and noticed this memorial to Betty Bower ...
... dead at 25 having given birth to at least four children.
I was just in time to take a tour of the tower.
On our way upward we looked down into the nave of the church ...
We reached the bell room where the bellringers ring the bells ...
Then we reached the belfry and the bells themsevles ...
According to Wikipedia "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".
We reached the bottom of the spire and looked upwards ...
It's an interesting jumble of woodwork. The tour guide told us the weight of the tower but it hasn't stuck. It was certainly some tons ... and there we were with it above our heads.
We went out into the open and looked up at all the lead rising towards heaven ...
... then down, into Chesterfield ...
I must admit as I looked up it made my head spin a little.
By the time my feet touched the ground the sun was still out ...
We'd been stood just above the clock ...
If you're in Chesterfield and have half an hour or so to spare the Crooked Spire is worth a visit ...
