The locals then rang the church bells and frightened the Devil. He was sat on the spire and wrapped his tail around it. Devil's tailĪ similar story says the Devil was causing mischief. The Devil's foot hit one of the supporting brick walls on the way down and caught the spire, causing it to go bent. The Devil was furious at the cheek of being challenged by a gibbering fool, so as the man was passing the church, he lashed out. The man was so terrified, he drove a nail into the Devil's foot when he revealed himself. The magician persuaded a local blacksmith to take on the Devil in a fight. Several local myths say the Devil was responsible in a fight with a magician and not the kind that turns balloons into animals. The spire twisted and bowed as a beautiful woman entered the church and the spire couldn't go back to normal, because it was so bowled over by the stunning looks of the female. Crooked Spire, Chesterfield (Image: SCU) A great beauty So if we want to lose the crooked spire, according to this myth, all we need to do is get a virgin to marry in there. It's said if another virgin ever marries in the church, the spire will return to its original form again. One legend says a virgin once married there and the church was so shocked that the spire turned around to look at the bride. But first, here's the outrageous myths that have circulated over the years: The work of a virgin Scroll down to the bottom to find out the real reason why it's twisted. It's survived two world wars and two fires that nearly destroyed it completely. It's a Grade I-listed building and is the largest church in Derbyshire. The church building was created in 1234, but is said not to have been finished until the 1360s. It's got an oak frame and has lead plates weighing 50 tons. That is old! It twists 45 degrees and leans about nine feet from the true centre. We've explored all the books, journals and letters, giving you a rundown on the hilarious myths that have emerged to explain why our town's spire is crooked.

We've all seen it, you can't miss it, the town spire is arguably the first thing most people think of when you mention Chesterfield.īut what many won't be able to tell you is the reason why it's twisted. Chesterfield's crooked spire has been a landmark for centuries.

Crooked bent and twisted just paint it.