St John’s Spire repairs

Inspiring heights!

It’s almost impossible to imagine the ambitions of the parishioners in medieval Bromsgrove who decided they wanted to add a tower and spire onto their church building which stood on top of a small hill, just outside the town.

But build it they did! And so well that it is still standing as a landmark for our town today over 500 years on.

Constructed in the 15th century using sandstone blocks, the spire is a largely hollow structure which sits on top of the square tower. Restoration work on the spire took place throughout the 1800s and in 1891, following a lightning strike, the top 25ft of the spire was rebuilt. This top section is a solid sandstone construction and includes a large iron rod which holds the stonework together and the weathervane in place.

St John’s church has the tallest spire in Worcestershire. It stands 198 feet tall and can be seen from all approaches to Bromsgrove. It was built to be seen from afar and the large bells in the tower would sound out to call the local residents to attend church services.

Over time the internal metal rod inside the top section of the spire has rusted. The rust expands the metal rod, causing cracks in the stone. In December 2017, when the cracks first appeared, emergency repairs were carried out by Dawson Steeplejacks. The cracks were filled with resin and eight steel straps were fitted to ensure the stones in the top section were secure. Recently the Steeplejacks returned to upgrade the repairs by renewing the resin and checking the straps. The two intrepid steeplejacks could be seen working at the top of Bromsgrove’s tallest building on a cold, blue sky day in early February. One steeplejack worked from the ladders secured against the spire (in shorts!) whilst the other worked from secured ropes and was able to abseil round the spire to carry out the work. What an incredible view they must have had of the town and surrounding countryside. Whilst the repairs have made the spire safe, a full rebuild of the top section to replace the rusted metal rod is now required. The recent repairs were funded by the charity Friends of St John’s who are planning a fundraising project to finance the rebuild. For more information on how you can support the Friends of St John’s and make a donation towards the spire project visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/

FriendsStJohnsBromsgrove

by Jo Slade