"A sleepy English village is set to become a tourist attraction to rival the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa thanks to its titling church.
Villagers have discovered that the tower on their ancient limestone church in Lincolnshire leans at a greater angle than the famous Italian landmark.
The people of Dry Doddington are hopeful that the Grade II listed Church of St James's will bring tourists flocking to their picturesque corner of the country.
Villagers conducted the measurements using a linear system and discovered it tilts up to 5.1 degrees to the west, compared to Pisa's legendary tower, which leans 3.99 degrees to the south-east.
They are keen to get independent experts to verify their findings and help solve the architectural mystery of what makes it lean.
There are several theories as to how the tower came to lean, one of which is that the soil that was supposed to go under the building was used elsewhere instead, leaving it lop-sided.
The tower in Tuscany was completed in the 13th Century and began tilting during construction due to inadequate foundations on ground that was too soft. It has since been stabilised.
St James's Church sits in view of a pub and has left many drinkers wondering if they have had one too many.
The church dates back to the 12th Century and the tower and spire were added 200 years later. Dry Doddington has only 220 inhabitants and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Among those hoping it will now attract curious sightseers from far and wide are Daniel Bland, 29, and his wife Kate, 34, who own the Wheatshead pub, which overlooks church.
The couple, who have a daughter Eden, aged one, have owned the pub for six years and held their wedding at St James's Church in 2010.
Mr Bland said: 'It would be fantastic if news of our leaning tower attracted lots of visitors because we have a fine view of the church from our pub.
'Strangers who drop in at the pub often notice the leaning tower and then joke they must have had too much to drink.
'The village's older residents say the tower has always had a tilt. They say it is because the church was built on a mound which has shifting soil.
'We know the ground doesn't shift due to ancient burials because the land surrounding the church is non-consecrated and contains no graves.
'We hold the key to the church and at the moment it gets just a few visitors, mainly from people wantIing to see a plaque inside the church which commemorates members of an aircrew who died when their Lancaster bomber crashed nearby in the war.'
Mr Nick Poulson, 54, chairman of the Friends of St James's Church group, is setting up a local history society that will aim to learn more about the distinctive church's past and shed light on how and why the tower tilts.
He said: 'It's an oddity and a well-kept secret, which is probably just as well because Dry Doddington wouldn't be able to accommodate all the tourists that would come to see it should it prove to lean
more than Pisa's tower.
'The tower in Pisa has been altered and is now at an angle of around 3.99 degrees, and although our tower still needs to be validated by a theodolite (an instrument for measuring angles) we estimate it leans 4.9 to 5.1 degrees.
'Although you have other striking church towers in England such as the Boston Stump and the crooked tower in Chesterfield, this is a quirky tower which we are proud of.'
Anyone wanting to explore the village's quirky tower may have to wait, however, as it is desperately in need of repairs.
Mr Poulson said: 'We need to raise at least £50,000 to carry out essential refurbishment.
'We will be applying to funds and for grants, and we are holding village events we hope can raise some money.
'We would love to get sponsorship from local businesses or organisations. We are also planning leaflets in the next few weeks with the information we know about the church.'
Mr John Clark, 77, local resident and historian, said: 'We live with the tower and we are proud of it. It's a great landmark. I remember I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw it as I drove off the A1.
'It's a source of great conversation in the local pub. We want it to be measured properly so we are looking for someone to come forward to help us with that.' "
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Also listed:
BBC News England (2/10/2013) - (
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Newark Advertiser (7/11/2013) - (
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