St Michael's Tower, Gloucester facts for kids
St Michael's Tower is a famous old building in Gloucester, England. It stands right in the middle of the city at a spot called The Cross. This is where Gloucester's four main streets meet: Northgate, Eastgate, Southgate, and Westgate Streets. The Cross is also the highest point in the city.
The Tower is found at the corner of Eastgate and Southgate Streets. You can find its entrance on Southgate Street. It was built way back in 1465. It sits on the same spot where an older church, called St Michael the Archangel, once stood. Today, the Tower is no longer used for church services. In 1952, it was recognized as a special historic building, known as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's very important and protected.
History of the Tower
The tower we see today was built in 1465. It was put up where the main part of an even older church, St Michael the Archangel, used to be. There has been a church on this spot since the 1100s! When people dug under the tower, they even found old Roman remains.
In the 1840s, most of the old church was taken down. But the tower was saved! A new church was then built in 1851. This new St Michael’s Church closed its doors in 1940. Later, in 1952, its parish joined with another church, St Mary de Crypt. The main part of the new church was also taken down in 1956. But guess what? The tower was saved again!
Over the years, the tower has been used for different things. From 1976 to 1981, the top floors were a museum about bells. Then, from 1985 to 1998, it was a place where tourists could get information about the city. At one time, the ground floor was an open path for people to walk between Eastgate and Southgate Streets. Eventually, it became old and worn out. The Gloucester City Council used it for storage.
Bringing the Tower Back to Life
In 2009, the Gloucester City Council gave the Gloucester Civic Trust permission to look after the building. In 2010, the Trust worked hard to fix up the Tower. This cost a lot of money, over £300,000! They got help from groups like the Heritage Lottery Fund and other people who wanted to help.
Since then, the Tower has become the main office for the Civic Trust. They want to make the Tower a "tower of learning." This means they want to teach people all about the history of Gloucester there. In August 2011, the Civic Trust started a plan to put a bell back in the tower. They worked hard, and now a bell has been put back!
Images for kids
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Arms of Richard III, Eastgate Street.
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Memorial plaque to the dead of the Gloucester volunteer Training Corps in the First World War, Southgate Street.
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Mosaic, Southgate Street.
