A Climb to the Top of the Church Tower

A view from the tower of All Saints church

Having already explored the exterior of All Saints church in Aston-cum-Aughton - as part of my investigation of the mediaeval churches of Rotherham - I particularly wanted to visit it again during their Heritage Open Days event, because it provided a very rare opportunity to go all the way to the top of the tower.

A detail of the 18th century parapet to the tower

During previous Heritage Open Days at St. Helen's church in Treeton – as well as various other events at the Chapel of Our Lady on the Bridge and All Saints church in Rotherham – I have wound up various spiral staircases. This has included leading a group of Spanish summer school teenagers to the top of the tower at York Minster, which is highly geared to the tourism industry, but my experience of standing on top of All Saints church was completely different.

Ascending the spiral staircase

As I have discovered when helping with some of the routine maintenance of St. Helen's church, the upkeep of a Grade I Listed mediaeval church is no easy task and, with the slow decay of the stonework over the years, the various ledges accumulate fragments of mortar and gritty stone dust, which can make the ascent and descent of the steep and narrow steps within a spiral staircase potentially hazardous.

Descending the spiral staircase

Ascending into the first stage of the tower, I was particularly interested to see the mechanism that drives the clock and, in the belfry itself, the vast iron structure that was needed to support the three remaining bells, which once numbered six in 1552.

The clock mechanism

In addition to the stresses applied to the tower by the swinging of its large bells, the area had problems with coal mining subsidence in the mid 20th century and – with weak foundations – the church tower was once tilted out of plumb, which has severely restricted the use of its bells and, at one time, also prevented the pendulum of the clock from swinging.

A few general views inside the belfry

Taking the final few steps up through the hatch to the roof, I have to say that I was disconcerted by the fact that I could see the through the parapets - and my first reaction was to quickly walk up to the apex of the lead roof and cling to the flagpole. Once feeling more comfortable, I then listened to the interesting information provided by our guide and took a few quick photos of the surrounding landscape with the other hand.

The hatch to the roof of the tower