Principal and Quinquennial Architect to this magnificent Grade I, internationally and locally renowned church in Chesterfield
We are working with the church to preserve it for the future. The Parish Church is the largest in Derbyshire and is famous for its crooked spire, attracting visitors from around the world. St Mary and All Saints have appointed us to help develop the built heritage and to maximise its potential for the mission of the Church.
With school holidays fast approaching, I often think about what trips I would take with my son if he were that age again. He always had an enquiring mind and the memories of ‘Why?’ and ‘Yes, but why?’ still resonate as though it were yesterday and he’s now 24!
If you haven’t already been to the church, it really is worth a visit, there is so much to see both inside and out, including the amazing spire which stands almost 70 metres from the ground and leans from its centre. The church has a fascinating history, which the guide books describe, (available at the church gift shop) including the fire of 1961 and if you have time it is possible to do a tour. To find out more follow this link.
And if you are going to visit the church – then you really should see how the work was undertaken – no health and safety back then that’s for sure! I recommend a visit to the Chesterfield Museum across the road from St Mary and All Saints, which houses the massive wooden-framed medieval builder’s wheel, which I have to say looks rather like a human-sized hamster wheel! However, the team had to find a way to haul up their equipment, which was often heavy and awkward and this ‘construction kit’ allowed workers to lift several times their own weight and was used to erect the famous spire over six hundred years ago.