You’re driving through Derbyshire, maybe headed toward the Peaks, and then you see it. It looks wrong. It looks like a giant, lead-covered ice cream cone that started melting in the sun and just... gave up. That is the church with twisted spire, officially known as the Church of St Mary and All Saints in Chesterfield. It is one of those landmarks that makes you rub your eyes to check if your glasses are smudged.
It’s leaning. It’s twisting. Honestly, it looks like it’s about to fall over on the nearest Greggs.
People have been coming up with wild stories about this thing for centuries. Local folklore says a blacksmith shod the Devil’s foot wrong, and the Devil jumped over the church in pain, catching his tail on the spire. Another one says a bride was so beautiful that the church leaned over to get a better look. Cool stories, sure, but the reality of the church with twisted spire is a bit more grounded in bad luck, medieval engineering, and a whole lot of heavy lead.
The Actual Physics of the Twist
Forget the Devil. The real culprit is the sun.
Back in the 14th century, when they were building this thing, they used unseasoned "green" oak. Now, if you know anything about woodwork, you know green oak is basically a living, breathing thing. It moves. As the wood dried out over the decades, it began to warp. But that’s only half the story.
The spire is covered in about 33 tons of lead tiles. That is an immense amount of weight for a timber frame to hold. When the sun hits the south side of the tower, the lead expands. Because the lead is so heavy and the wood underneath was already doing its own thing, the whole structure started to buckle under the thermal pressure.
It didn't happen overnight. It was a slow-motion architectural disaster.
👉 See also: Why Time in Gulf Shores Moves Differently Than Anywhere Else
The spire currently twists 45 degrees from its original position and leans about 9 feet to the southwest. It’s basically a massive, accidental sundial that moves—very slightly—depending on the temperature. Most people think it’s a deliberate design choice, but nah, it was just a combination of "we need to finish this church fast" and "wow, lead is really heavy."
Why It Hasn't Fallen Down Yet
You’d think a 228-foot tall structure that is leaning 9 feet off-center would have collapsed by now. It hasn't.
Structural engineers have looked at this thing a lot. Like, a lot. What they found is that despite the terrifying lean, the way the timbers have locked together actually makes it surprisingly stable. It’s sort of reached an equilibrium. The weight of the lead, which caused the problem in the first place, now helps pin the warped timbers in their new, twisted shape.
It’s a bit like a Jenga tower that looks like it should fall but is somehow wedged perfectly.
Inside the Bell Tower
If you go inside, you can actually climb up (if you don't mind tight spaces and spiders). The interior is a mess of massive oak beams. You can see where the wood has literally groaned and shifted over the last 600 years. It smells like old dust and cold stone.
The bells are another factor. There are ten of them. When they ring, the whole structure vibrates. You’d think that would be the final straw, but the masonry of the tower below the spire is incredibly thick. The base of the tower is solid enough to handle the wonky hat it’s wearing.
Comparing Chesterfield to Other Wonky Spires
Chesterfield isn't the only church with twisted spire in the world, though it’s definitely the most famous one. You’ll find similar "accidents" across Europe.
🔗 Read more: Why Grand Case Beach Club St Martin Is Still the Only Place to Stay on the French Side
- Ermington, Devon: This one has a distinct twist, though it’s much smaller.
- Verchin, France: Their spire is twisted, and they actually claim they did it on purpose (though historians are skeptical).
- Bolsover: Not far from Chesterfield, there’s another slight twist, suggesting maybe the local builders in that specific part of England just had a "style" or, more likely, used the same forest for their timber.
The difference with Chesterfield is the scale. Most other twisted spires are subtle. Chesterfield’s looks like a corkscrew. It’s aggressive. It’s impossible to miss.
The Black Death Connection
There’s a theory that the Black Death played a role in why the spire is so messed up. The plague hit Chesterfield hard around 1349.
The spire was under construction right around that time. When the skilled master carpenters died off from the plague, the work was left to less experienced apprentices. These guys maybe didn't know the trick of seasoning the wood properly or how to brace a lead-covered spire against thermal expansion.
Basically, the church with twisted spire is a 14th-century DIY project gone wrong because the professionals weren't around to finish the job. It's a miracle it stayed up at all.
How to Visit and What to Look For
If you’re planning a trip to see the church with twisted spire, don't just stand in the parking lot and take a selfie. There are a few specific things you need to notice to really appreciate how weird this building is.
First, walk all the way around it. From the north side, it looks almost straight. From the south and west, it looks like it’s falling on your head. That perspective shift is wild.
📖 Related: How to Actually See the Sunset San Diego Tonight Without the Crowds
Inside the church, look for the "Foljambe" monuments. The Foljambes were a big-deal local family, and their tombs are genuinely impressive examples of medieval craftsmanship. Also, check out the font—it’s been there since the 13th century.
Pro Tip: If the tower tours are running, book one. It’s a steep climb, and the stairs are narrow, but standing right underneath those twisting timbers is the only way to understand the scale of the warp. You can feel the age of the place.
Common Misconceptions
People love to say the spire is made of stone. It’s not. It’s wood and lead. If it were stone, it would have snapped centuries ago. The flexibility of the wood is exactly what saved it.
Another myth is that it was bombed during the war and that's why it's crooked. Nope. It was wonky long before planes were even a thing. In fact, records from the 1700s already mention how strange the spire looked.
Some people also think the twist is getting worse. It isn't. Laser measurements show the spire is relatively "fixed" in its current position. It moves slightly with the heat, but it’s not actively uncoiling or leaning further toward the ground.
Technical Breakdown of the Lean
If you want the nerd stats, here they are:
The spire is 228 feet high. The twist is 45 degrees. The lean is 9 feet 6 inches to the south and 3 feet 2 inches to the west.
When you look at those numbers, it’s actually a pretty significant deviation from the vertical. Most modern buildings would be condemned if they leaned that much. But medieval masonry is built different. The walls at the base are several feet thick, providing a massive counterweight to the lopsided spire above.
The Cultural Impact of the Spire
For the people of Chesterfield, the church with twisted spire is a point of massive pride. It’s on the football club’s crest (Chesterfield FC are nicknamed "The Spireites"). It’s on the local beer. It’s the town’s entire identity.
There’s something very human about it. It’s a mistake that became a masterpiece. It represents the idea that even if something is broken or "wrong," it can still be beautiful and iconic.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Visit
If you're actually going to go see this thing, don't just wing it.
- Check the Tour Schedule: The tower tours don't run every day. Check the official St Mary and All Saints website before you drive out there.
- Bring Binoculars: To see the lead tiles and the way they’ve buckled, you really need a closer look than you can get from the ground.
- Visit the Chesterfield Museum: They have a great section on the construction of the church and the various theories about the twist.
- Eat Locally: There are some great cafes right in the shadow of the spire. Sitting outside with a coffee while looking up at that architectural impossibility is a great way to spend an hour.
- Park at Rose Hill: It’s one of the better vantage points for a full-length photo of the spire without too many modern buildings blocking the view.
The church with twisted spire is a reminder that history isn't always perfect. Sometimes the best landmarks are the ones where someone messed up the math, the sun got too hot, and a 600-year-old mistake became a national treasure. It’s weird, it’s wonky, and it’s absolutely worth the trip to Derbyshire.