St. Mark's Church in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, a Grade II-listed building, is set to lose its historic, leaning spire due to serious structural issues. Reverend Richard Hines of the church submitted a planning application for the removal of the upper section of the tower, citing drainage problems and leaks.
The spire's noticeable tilt, which earned the church the local nickname 'Pisa of the Fens,' developed over decades as the ground beneath the 160-year-old structure shifted. Last year, the church was added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk register, with concerns mounting that its defining feature was contributing to the building's structural problems.
Fenland District Council has granted permission for the spire's removal. A council conservation officer noted that while the work will diminish the building's significance and impact the landmark, the spire is ultimately structurally unsound. Planning documents do not indicate an imminent risk of collapse, and there is hope that the spire could be reconstructed in the future.
For now, the spire will be temporarily capped until funds can be secured for its rebuilding, the cost of which has not yet been determined. The Victorian Society supports the planned work but emphasized the importance of timely reconstruction proposals and the creation of a full record of the tower to aid future rebuilding efforts.
Permission for the demolition is conditional on the work commencing within three years.
Elsewhere in the UK, St. James' Church in Dry Doddington, Lancashire, is also facing significant repair needs for its own leaning spire. The church requires approximately £100,000 in repairs to prevent deterioration. The warden, Richard Loynes, expressed a need for funding, contrasting their situation with that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The 14th-century tower, which leans at 5.1 degrees, was underpinned in 1918. Loynes attributes the lean to the church being built on a clay foundation that expands and contracts, though other theories suggest it might be built over a burial ground. Despite the lean, the church is considered stable, and the intention is to preserve its unique crookedness.