A crooked spire (also known as a twisted spire) is a tower that, through accident or design, contains a twist or does not point perfectly straight upwards. There are about a hundred bell towers of this type in Europe.

Austria Alpbach, Tyrol – Saint Oswald Bad Ischl, Upper Austria – Saint Nicholas Mayrhofen, Tyrol – church Oetz, Imst – Saints George & Nicholas Virgen, Lienz – church Wagrain, St. Johann im Pongau District – Saint Rupert Zell am Ziller, Schwaz – Saint Guy

Belgium Baelen, Liège – Saint Paul Herve, Liège Province – Saint John the Baptist Jalhay, Liège Province – Saint Michael Jodoigne, Walloon Brabant – Chapel of Notre Dame du Marche Lierneux, Liège Province – church Limbourg, Liège Province – Saint Lambert Leernes, Hainaut Province – Saint Martin Marchin, Liège Province – parish church Polleur, Theux – Saint Jacques Roosdaal, Flemish Brabant – 13th century Sart-lez-Spa, Jalhay – Saint Lambert Verlaine, Liège Province – Saint Remy

Canada Clarke's Head, Newfoundland and Labrador – Christ Church

Denmark Copenhagen – Stock Exchange Copenhagen – Church of Our Saviour

England Barnstaple, Devon – St. Peter's church Chesterfield, Derbyshire – Church of St Mary and All Saints Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire – St Mary's Church Clitheroe, Lancashire – Church of St Mary Magdalene Ermington, Devon – Church of St Peter and St Paul Ewhurst Green, East Sussex – St James's Church Hadleigh, Suffolk – Church of St Mary Wolstanton, Staffordshire – St Margaret's Church

France Aignay-le-Duc, Côte-d'Or – Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Angiens, Seine-Maritime – church Attignat, Ain – Saint Loup Aubigny-sur-Nère, Cher – tower Auppegard, Seine-Maritime – Church of St. Pierre Auxonne, Côte-d'Or – Notre Dame Barran, Gers – College of St Jean Baptiste Boësses, Loiret – church Boulancourt, Seine-et-Marne – Saint Denis Bourges, Cher – Bell tower Breuvannes-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne – Saint George Bures-en-Bray, Seine-Maritime – Saint Aignan Ceyzériat, Ain – Saint Laurent Châteauroux, Indre – Lucarne Cheffes, Maine-et-Loire – church Chemiré-sur-Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire – Church of Saint Jacques Courcelles-Chaussy, Lorraine – Tower Coussay-les-Bois, Vienne – Saint Martin Dinéault, Finistère – Arrow tower Distré, Maine-et-Loire – Church of Saint Julien Dohis, Aisne – church of the Nativité-de-la-Sainte-Vierge Drancy, Seine-Saint-Denis – tower Échirolles, Isère – construction on a building Étréaupont, Aisne – Saint Martin Étoges, Marne – church Fontaine-Guérin, Maine-et-Loire – Church of St Martin Fougere, Maine-et-Loire – Saint Etienne Gigny, Yonne – Saint Leger Hectomare, Eure – Saint Taurin Houville-la-Branche, Eure-et-Loir – church Jarzé, Maine-et-Loire – Saint Cyr et Sainte Julitte Javerlhac-et-la-Chapelle-Saint-Robert, Dordogne – Saint Etienne Labergement-lès-Seurre, Côte-d'Or – church La Tour-d'Auvergne, Auvergne – Saint Pardoux Le Vieil-Baugé, Maine-et-Loire – Saint-Symphorien church Les Grands-Chézeaux, Haute-Vienne – Lantern on a roof of a house Malville, Loire-Atlantique – tower Marçon, Pays de la Loire – Church of Notre Dame Mervans, Saône-et-Loire – Saint-Maurice Meslay-du-Maine, Mayenne – Saint Pierre Mouliherne, Maine-et-Loire – Saint Germaine Naillat, Limousin – Saint Medard Niedermorschwihr, Haut-Rhin – Saint Gall and Saint Weldelin Nogent-sur-Vernisson, Loiret – construction on a house Nohant-en-Graçay, Cher – Saint Martin Offranville, Seine-Maritime – Church of St.Ouen Orléans, Loiret – Lantern roof on a house Payzac, Dordogne – Church of the Transfigeration Plougrescant, Brittany – Saint Gonery Pontigné, Maine-et-Loire – St Denis Puiseaux, Loiret – Notre Dame Québriac, Ille-et-Vilaine – Saint Pierre Reugny, Indre-et-Loire – Saint Medard Rochechouart, Haute-Vienne – Saint Saviours Rodelle, Aveyron – Church of Lagnac Saint-Aubin-sur-Gaillon, Eure – Saint Germain Saint-Bonnet-de-Four, l'Allier – Saint Bonnet Saint-Côme-d'Olt, Aveyron – Saint Come Saint-Outrille, Cher – College of Saint-Austrégésile de Saint-Outrille Saint-Côme-d'Olt, Aveyron – Church of Saint-Côme-d'Olt Saint-Pierre-des-Échaubrognes, Deux-Sèvres – church Saint-Viâtre, Loir-et-Cher – Saint Viatre Saumur, Maine-et-Loire – Saint Pierre Sérignac-sur-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne – Notre Dame Treignac, Corrèze – Chapel of Notre Dame de la Paix Troyes, Aube – Saint Remy Verchin, Pas-de-Calais – St Omer church Vézelise, Meurthe-et-Moselle – Saint Côme et Damien Vieil-Baugé, Maine-et-Loire – church Vitteaux, Côte-d'Or – Saint Germain

Germany Ballstädt, Gotha (district) – church Barntrup, North Rhine-Westphalia – church Breidenbach, Hesse – Burgwedel, Lower Saxony – Saint Pierre Delbrück, North Rhine-Westphalia – Saint-Jean-Baptiste Duderstadt, Lower Saxony – Town gatehouse Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia – St Lambertus Grötzingen, Karlsruhe – Evangelical church Hardthausen am Kocher, Baden-Wuerttemberg – Protestant Church Gochsen Hattingen, North Rhine-Westphalia – Saint-Georges Kaisersesch, Rhineland-Palatinate – Saint Pancrase Lage, Lippe – Saint Peter & Saint Paul Lemgo, Lippe – Saint Nicholas Lüneburg, Lower Saxony – St John's Church Mayen, Rhineland-Palatinate – Church of St Clemens Mülheim, North Rhine-Westphalia – Saint Pierre Münzenberg, Hesse – church Neuwied, Rhineland-Palatinate – Sainte Marguerite Northeim, Lower Saxony – Saint Sixt Oberwesel, Rhineland-Palatinate – Notre Dame Ochsenfurt, Lower Franconia – Maria Schnee Porta Westfalica, Minden-Lübbecke – church Sandstedt, Lower Saxony – Saint Jean Stolzenau, Lower Saxony – Saint Jacques Uslar, Lower Saxony – Saint Jean

Italy Rome – Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza

Scotland Cupar, Fife – Church of Cupar Old and St Michael of Tarvit Inverness, – Town Steeple

Switzerland Davos, Canton of Grisons – Saint Johann Muttenz, Basel-Landschaft – Fortified Church of St. Arbogast Payerne, Canton of Vaud – Payerne Priory Stein am Rhein, Canton of Schaffhausen – St. George

United States of America Setauket, New York – Caroline Church of Brookhaven

Other crooked or twisted spires Hobsons Brewery, Shropshire, produces a beer named "Twisted Spire". Spire Brewery is named for Chesterfield's landmark twisted spire. "Crooked Spire" Pubs exist at Chesterfield and Ermington Architects have been inspired to create twisted buildings such as the Turning Torso

See also List of twisted buildings Crooked spire Spire

External links l’Association des Clochers Tors d’Europe (A.C.T.E.)

References