Glover's Needle facts for kids
The Glover's Needle is a tall, pointy tower in the city of Worcester, England. It's also known as the St Andrews Spire. This famous landmark used to be part of a church called St Andrew's, but now it stands all by itself. You can see it from many places around the city!
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Where is the Glover's Needle?
The Glover's Needle is easy to spot in Worcester, England. It's a big landmark you can see from roads, trains, and even the River Severn. You can find it in St Andrews Gardens, near Worcester College of Technology.
The spire stands on a street called Deansway. Worcester Cathedral is very close to its south side. All Saints Church is to the north. If you walk west from the spire, you can go down into gardens. These gardens lead right to the River Severn.
Across the street, there's a "House of Fraser" shop. This shop is built where the old St Andrew's churchyard used to be. At night, the spire lights up! A cool blue glow shines from one of its windows. This blue color represents Saint Andrew, just like the Flag of Scotland. The lights were paid for by the Rotary Club of Worcester Severn in the year 2000.
History of the Spire
Building the First Spire
The original St Andrew's church, with its tall spire, was built way back in the 1400s. But a huge storm in 1733 sadly destroyed this first spire.
Rebuilding the Spire
In 1751, a new spire was built by Nathaniel Wilkinson. He used a clever method to get the stones up high. They used kites to carry the building materials! People in Worcester loved this new spire. They started calling it the 'Glover's Needle'. This name came from the many glove-making businesses in Worcester at that time.
The entire structure is about 245 feet tall. It's the tallest spire in the country that has such a narrow, pointy shape.
Changes to the Church and Spire
In the 1920s, many old, crowded homes around the church were taken down. This meant fewer people lived near the church, so fewer people went there. The church started to fall apart. Its churchyard became overgrown, and it had very few members.
In the 1940s, the city council agreed to take over the church from the Bishop of Worcester. They decided to knock down the church building. They wanted to create a garden of remembrance in its place. But they chose to keep the tower and the spire standing alone. The rest of St Andrew's church was demolished in 1949. The very top part of the spire was replaced with a copy. You can find the original top in the public garden that replaced the church.
Modern Uses and Features
Millennium Projects
Around the year 2000, as a special millennium project, a clock was put into the tower. Now, the hours are marked by strikes on the council bell. There's also a tradition that has started again. Before a full meeting of the council, the council bell rings from 6:45 PM to 6:50 PM.
Home for Birds
In the early 2000s, a fence was put around the bottom of the spire. A few years ago, the RSPB started using the spire. It's now a special place for birds of prey to rest. There are even webcams installed inside the tower so people can watch the birds!
The Bells of Glover's Needle
Past Bells
The Glover's Needle used to have five bells. These bells were hung in a way that allowed for a special type of English bell ringing called change ringing.
The Council Bell
In 1870, four of the bells were sold. But the heaviest bell, called the tenor bell, was kept. It weighs about 1 ton! This is the same "council bell" that rings today. It's not likely that the Glover's Needle could hold a full set of bells now. This is because there's no longer a church building to help support the tower and stop it from swaying.
