Steeple Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steeple Church |
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| Old Steeple St Mary's Tower |
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| 56°27′34″N 2°58′23″W / 56.4594°N 2.973°W | |
| Location | Dundee, Scotland |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Bell (rebuild) |
| Architectural type | Medieval |
| Completed | 1470s |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 50 metres (160 ft) |
| Number of floors | 5 |
The Steeple Church is a historic building in Dundee, Scotland. It is part of a larger building called the "City Churches." This church is a place of worship for the Church of Scotland.
The "City Churches" are in the center of Dundee. They are right next to the Overgate shopping center. This building is special because it has two churches inside it. The other church, at the eastern end, is Dundee Parish Church (St Mary's). The middle part of the building stopped being used for worship in the early 1990s.
The Old Steeple, also known as St Mary's Tower, is the clock tower at the western end of the City Churches. It is the oldest part of the entire church building. Today, Dundee City Council's heritage department takes care of it. Locals often call it the Old Steeple.
History of the Old Steeple
The Old Steeple has a long history. It was built around the 1470s. This makes it one of the oldest buildings in Dundee.
The Rough Wooing Conflict
During a war between Scotland and England, known as the Rough Wooing, Dundee was taken over by English forces. This happened in January 1548. An English commander named Thomas Wyndham placed 20 soldiers inside the steeple. He had help from Andrew Dudley and a Scottish leader, Lord Gray.
The soldiers had cannons and small guns to defend the steeple. These weapons included a "saker" and a "falcon" (types of cannons). They also had "double bases" and "hackbuts of crook," which were smaller firearms.
Church Leaders
The minister of Steeple Church is like its main leader. From 2000 to 2013, the minister was Rev. David M. Clark. He retired in 2013. The current minister, Rev. Robert Calvert, started in 2014 and is still serving the church today.
