The Tower & Spire
St Michaels tower was completed in1394 and the Spire in 1433 and today stands at 294 feet. The 14th century Tower was built on the edge of a quarry on poor ground — jumble of rubble in clay with bits of old stone coffins, gravestones and parts of the earlier churches from the site — -and it deteriorated over the centuries. In 1855 a complete restoration was carried out, much of the work done in Yorkshire stone.
The spire was restored with red sandstone from the Runcorn quarries. After restoration, it was described by Alfred J Brookes as follows:
'The position of the lofty and exquisite steeple does not stand in the centre of the West front of the Church, but a good deal to the South. Sir Christopher Wren declared it a masterpiece in the art of Gothic building, and it is known to be one of Ruskin's ideal structures. It is built from the ground and not, as most Cathedrals, from the body of the Church. The steeple consists of three parts, the tower, the octagon and the spire. The tower is decorated with sculptured canopied niches, filled with figures of saints, kings, confessors and benefactors. It is surmounted by a panelled embattled parapet, having pinnacles at each corner, from which spring flying buttresses, in pairs to the middle octagon. This octagon is a very fine
conception and the flying arches which spring from the pinnacles are remarkable for their graceful character."
A further restoration took place in 1977
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