Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
St Leonard’s Church - Woore
St Leonard’s Church, constructed between 1830 and 1831, served five townships in the Shropshire part of the ancient parish of Mucklestone in Staffordshire. Its unconventional white plaster Italianate design sets it apart. A Grade II listed building, it underwent a repaint in 2011. Designed by George Hamilton of Stone, the bell tower, an Edwardian addition by Chapman and Snape of Newcastle-under-Lyme, has been unsafe to regularly ring since the late 1980s. The bells are now replaced by a timed recording. The churchyard holds a war grave of a British soldier from World War I.
St Chads, The tower without a church - Wybunbury
Wybunbury Tower, the remaining structure of St Chad’s Church in Wybunbury, Cheshire, England, stands as a testament to its former glory. While the original church has been demolished, the tower continues to be a prominent landmark. Recognised as a designated Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Monument, the tower’s site holds significant historical importance. The current St Chad’s Church, located on a different site in the village, is a modern building.
The Domesday Book mentions a priest in Wybunbury. In 1464, the church was broken into, and the cross was broken, valuables were stolen, and the thieves were caught and hung. The tower was built on the site of the earlier church in the 15th century. By 1750, its foundations were observed to be settling, and the tower began to lean. In the early 1790s, the church was repaired or rebuilt. In 1833, the body of the church was demolished. James Trubshaw then straightened the tower by removing soil from the higher side and soaking the ground, causing the tower to settle back straight. He rebuilt the body of the church in a style loosely based on the previous building. This church was replaced in 1892–93 by a church designed by James Brooks, which was demolished around 1976. The tower was saved from demolition by a group of villagers who formed the Wybunbury Tower Preservation Trust. Trubshaw’s technique formed the basis of the method used in the 1990s to stabilise the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
St Leonard’s Church - Woore
St Leonard’s Church, constructed between 1830 and 1831, served five townships in the Shropshire part of the ancient parish of Mucklestone in Staffordshire. Its unconventional white plaster Italianate design sets it apart. A Grade II listed building, it underwent a repaint in 2011. Designed by George Hamilton of Stone, the bell tower, an Edwardian addition by Chapman and Snape of Newcastle-under-Lyme, has been unsafe to regularly ring since the late 1980s. The bells are now replaced by a timed recording. The churchyard holds a war grave of a British soldier from World War I.
St Chads, The tower without a church - Wybunbury
Wybunbury Tower, the remaining structure of St Chad’s Church in Wybunbury, Cheshire, England, stands as a testament to its former glory. While the original church has been demolished, the tower continues to be a prominent landmark. Recognised as a designated Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Monument, the tower’s site holds significant historical importance. The current St Chad’s Church, located on a different site in the village, is a modern building.
The Domesday Book mentions a priest in Wybunbury. In 1464, the church was broken into, and the cross was broken, valuables were stolen, and the thieves were caught and hung. The tower was built on the site of the earlier church in the 15th century. By 1750, its foundations were observed to be settling, and the tower began to lean. In the early 1790s, the church was repaired or rebuilt. In 1833, the body of the church was demolished. James Trubshaw then straightened the tower by removing soil from the higher side and soaking the ground, causing the tower to settle back straight. He rebuilt the body of the church in a style loosely based on the previous building. This church was replaced in 1892–93 by a church designed by James Brooks, which was demolished around 1976. The tower was saved from demolition by a group of villagers who formed the Wybunbury Tower Preservation Trust. Trubshaw’s technique formed the basis of the method used in the 1990s to stabilise the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
