TOWER AND SPIRE TERMS
Saddleback tower
These simple towers have a ridge and two sloping sides, creating a gable at each end. They usually date to the 13th and 14th centuries. Examples include St Michael’s Church in Begbroke, Oxfordshire and All Saints’ in North Cerney, Gloucestershire.
Pyramid tower
One of the earlier shapes, originating in the 12th century as a simple, chunky, four-sided roof on top of a tower.
Pinnacle
Miniature spires, used as decoration or, in early Gothic architecture, placed on top of flying buttresses to provide stability. Pinnacles could be extremely ornate and were used to help break up horizontal lines. Examples can be seen on St Martin’s Church at Kingsbury Episcopi in Somerset.
Splay-foot spire
The splay-foot spire opens out and flattens at the base. It creates eaves above the tower, which support the spire. St Peter’s Church in Thundersley, Essex, is one example.
Crown spire
Curved stone flying buttresses create the open shape of a crown on a spire or steeple. This design first appeared in late Gothic architecture in England and Scotland in the late middle ages, and continued to be built through the 17th century. They appeared as part of the Gothic revival in the late 18th century. Kelvinbridge Parish Church, Glasgow (1898-1902) is a good example, as is St Mary of Charity in Faversham (1797).
Broach spire
An octagonal shape, with pieces of triangular masonry facing, called broaches, added to the sides. They were a way of blending an octagonal spire with a square base, and became more common as spires grew taller and thinner. St Peter’s in Peterchurch, Herefordshire, has a 14th century octagonal spire with broaches over the angles of the tower.