The 29.3 m leaning tower of the former church of St Chad, is also known as the 'Leaning Tower of South Cheshire' and the 'Hanging Steeple of Wimberie'.
The Tower of former Church of St Chad. (Formerly listed as Church of St Chad) is Grade II* listed. The description by British Listed Buildings can be seen at the following link. (
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"St Chad and the Old Churches of Wybunbury.
The Mercians had accepted Christianity in the 650s and Chad, in 669 AD, was a Bishop of Mercia. At sometime there was a church in Wybunbury which was dedicated to St Chad. The religious significance of having a priest and church was to remain an important factor in the history of Wybunbury. Records of the last five churches survive and illustrate what an extensive and important place the parish of Wybunbury had become, and even in medieval times it was a great parish. Eighteen townships clustered round the mother church of St Chad.
During the 15th century a new church was built with a tower that commanded great views and could be seen from far and wide. This church was built during the last phase of English Medieval architecture in Cheshire. According to Church wardens' accounts, in 1591 the church was taken down again and rebuilt, except for the tower which was left standing. In 1760 the church was again taken down and rebuilt except for the tower which, despite its lean, was preserved.
In 1832 James Trubshaw made a noteworthy attempt to restore and straighten the tower. He also demolished the old church and replaced it with a Gothic style church with large interior galleries seating 1,642. But by 1891 a report concluded that the high vaulted design made it unstable and was in danger of falling down. The church was demolished in 1892 but the tower, by then known as the “hanging steeple of Wybunbury" remained.
In 1893 James Brooks built a church planned to out last all others. It was built at the cost £8,575 and one third of the money was spent on the foundations. But it too was not to last and by 1970 was a cause of great concern. After considerable investigation and consultation the decision was made to close the church and build the next church on a new site. The church was finally demolished in 1976 but, again, the 15th century tower was left standing."
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Wybunbury Tower was saved from demolition in the 1980’s by a dedicated group of villagers now known as the Wybunbury Tower Preservation trust. In 1989 the tower was straightened in a project known as The Big Lift. Hydraulic jacks beneath the tower lifted it and brought it to rest on a base of reinforced concrete. It was intentionally left with a slight lean. (
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The Old Churchyard.
"The site of the church of St Chad is a monument scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. List entry Number: 1017060
The remains of the parish church of St Chad form an important survival of archaeological evidence for the succession of churches which have been built on this site. Below ground features will include both building foundations and burials which will provide insight into the methods of construction used in different periods as well as the evidence for diet, disease and genetic characteristics of the buried population inside the churches." Source: (
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The Old Churchyard, as an ancient graveyard, remains consecrated ground. It covers an area of about 1 hectare and isused by walkers to access the footpaths around Wybunbury Moss. The path is made of former gravestones.
Boards have been installed in the churchyard listing all the graves. People visiting the Tower can find their relatives names and are given a reference to that grave.
There are four Commonwealth service war graves of World War I in the original churchyard. (
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In the neighbouring churchyard extension there are another three from the World War I and four from World War II. (
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The churchyard is maintained by The Wybunbury Old Churchyard Society, a dedicated group of volunteers, who meet every Saturday.
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