Cones And Spires

We have booked a dinner bed and breakfast break in Yorkshire and after driving for three hours, fancied a break. I saw the signs for Chesterfield and pulled off the M1 for a visit.

There were car parks everywhere, all wanting a hand out. One advertised 30 mins for 70p as though it was cheap. After walking around this town centre, it seems to have had better days. The council charging to park won't help. We parked just outside and walked in.

I was immediately struck by the twisted spire of Chesterfield Cathedral. I took a blip photo of it. On getting to our destination I googled it and it's history is very interesting:

St Mary and All Saints, the Crooked Spire Church, was built in the late 13th Century and finished around 1360. It’s the largest church in Derbyshire. The Spire stands 228 feet from the ground and leans 9 feet 5 inches from its true centre. The Spire was built straight and the reason that it 'twisted' may be the amount of green timber used during its construction. Then 32 tons of lead tiles were placed on top – enough to bend anyone’s back!

We continued on on way along the motorway. What struck me was the miles and miles of cones, and speed reduction measures. I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that much of it is unnecessary. Surely they can just cone the bit they're working on? It's also surprising how many church spires we saw from the motorway.

A day of Spires and Cones or Cones and Spires!