What’s going on with the church tower?

Following a visit from steeplejacks and a structural engineer in August 2025, we know that we have three failed pinnacles. These are the one closest to the Phoenix Theatre and the one on either side of it.

The top five or six stones on each pinnacle are loose, though the rod is holding them in place. We are still at a very early stage in diagnosing the problem, until we know that we can’t provide or cost a solution, or apply for funding to carry it out. This problem has occured before; we need to ensure that it is fixed properly this time, and for the long term. We have a team in place (architect, structural engineer and steeplejacks). They are work hard for us.

The short film below shows the scale of the problem.

There are also structural problems with the very top of the spire, which will also need to be dismantled and rebuilt.

For safety reasons we ask you to avoid this area of the churchyard, and the path by the tower has now been completely closed. We ask everyone to try to get into the habit of using the path around the east end of the church instead.

Please note also that there is now no parking in the churchyard.

We regret that, for the time being, we are unable to provide level access into the church. We are working at possible solutions to resolve this.

We will post more here as we have it.

Thank you for your understanding.