St Walburge's Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St Walburge's RC Church is a church located in Preston, Lancashire, England.
It is one of the tallest buildings of any sort in Lancashire, with a steeple or spire of 309 feet. It is the fifth-tallest church in the United Kingdom, after Salisbury Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral, Liverpool Cathedral and Norwich Cathedral, and therefore the tallest church that is not a cathedral.
The steeple is constructed from limestone sleepers which originally carried the nearby Preston to Longridge railway line, giving the spire a red tint during sunset. The steeple was the last to be worked upon by steeplejack and TV personality Fred Dibnah.
The architect was Joseph Hansom. Work began on the construction of the church in May 1850, and it was completed for an opening ceremony on August 3, 1854.
The church resembles a cathedral and holds a commanding position over Preston city. The tower contains a single bell of 30 Cwt (1.5 Tonnes) cast by John Taylor Bellfounders of Loughborough. This is thought to be the heaviest swinging bell in Lancashire.
