A crown steeple, or crown spire, is a traditional Scottish form of church steeple in which curved stone flying buttresses form the open shape of a rounded crown. It appeared in medieval Scottish church architecture, and was revived in the 19th century.
In Scotland
The crown spire of St. Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, was erected in 1495, and rebuilt by John Mylne in 1648.[1] Another medieval crown steeple was built at King's College, Aberdeen (1500–1509), although this too was rebuilt in the 17th century, after the original blew down.[2] The crown steeple of the Tolbooth Steeple, in Glasgow's Merchant City, was built in 1626-1634 by John Boyd,[3] and at the time was the only such steeple in western Scotland.[4]
Crown steeples were often incorporated into 19th century Gothic Revival churches, such as those at Tarbert, Argyll and Bute (1886),[5] and the Kelvin Stevenson Memorial Church, Glasgow, by John James Stevenson (1902).[6] One of the most recent examples is at St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow, where an aluminium crown spire was added in 1964.[7]
A secular example tops the Wallace Monument, near Stirling, erected in 1869 to a design by the architect John Thomas Rochead.
In England
Crown steeples occur outside Scotland, for example on Newcastle Cathedral, in Newcastle upon Tyne, which was erected in 1448, possibly the earliest example of this form of steeple.[citation needed] In 1698, Sir Christopher Wren added a tower with a crown steeple to St Dunstan-in-the-East, London.[8] The open spire of Faversham Parish Church, Kent was built in 1797,[9] and a crown steeple was added to Tillington Parish Church, Susssex, in 1807.[10]
The north facade of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is a hybrid of gothic and classical architectural forms, topped by a crown steeple. This part of the building was designed by Aston Webb, and completed in 1909.[11]
A crown steeple has been proposed for the top of Westminster Abbey and is scheduled to be completed in time for the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
References
- ^ "St. Giles High Kirk, Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/hsstart?P_HBNUM=27381. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "King's College Chapel, Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/hsstart?P_HBNUM=19943. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Tolbooth Steeple, Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/hsstart?P_HBNUM=32717. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ Macaulay, James. "Buildings and Cityscape". The Glasgow Story. http://www.theglasgowstory.com/story.php?id=TGSBF. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Tarbert Church of Scotland, Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/hsstart?P_HBNUM=12029. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Kelvin Stevenson Memorial Church, Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/hsstart?P_HBNUM=33753. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "St. Michael's Parish Church, Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/hsstart?P_HBNUM=37499. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Church of St Dunstan in the East". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=199522. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ^ "The Parish Church of St. Mary of Charity, Faversham". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=175878&mode=quick. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ^ "The Parish Church of All Hallows, Tillington". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=412979&mode=quick. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ^ Physick, John. (1982) The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building. Victoria and Albert Museum. ISBN 0905209257 p.228
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