The Crooked Spire, Chesterfield (14)

This painting is from a photo I took of the fourteenth century St Mary’s and All Saints church in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The church is commonly known as the Crooked Spire because the spire is twisted (45 degrees) and leaning (2.90m) from its true centre.

The twist is considered an original design of the spire, but the lean is believed to be due to the absence of skilled craftsmen because of the Black Death, insufficient cross-bracing, and the use of unseasoned timber.

Of course, people have come up with alternative explanations for how the spire came to be crooked. One story tells how when a virgin got married in the church the spire was so shocked that it bent down to get a closer look. Legend has it that should this ever happen again the spire will straighten up! Another story is that a Bolsover blacksmith mis-shod the Devil who leaped over the spire in pain, knocking it out of shape.

For any trivia lovers, there are 72 twisted spires in Europe (though only one in the UK), and the Crooked Spire has the greatest lean and twist of them all.

I have taken many photos of this church over the years because it is such a photogenic subject and stands out for miles around. I found the spire’s twist and lean difficult to paint, though it wasn’t very pronounced from the angle I took the photo. If you ever visit this church my cards of this painting are for sale in the church shop.