The Church Steeple…so much more than a rhyme for ‘people’

While traveling the countrysides of both New and Merry Olde England the proliferation of steeples, those quaint spires attached to the roofs of bucolic white churches, would most likely not conjure up visions of the politics of war, the shackles of bondage, the tools of revolution, or the advances of Science… It would also be safe to say while admiring the austere pinnacles of the simple rural houses of worship that they could never be part of the future of communications, forget being the seat of it’s humblest beginnings. From their first incarnations of earth and stone to the prefab or custom designed lightning-proof fiberglass and steel of the present, steeples have been so much more than they would seem.

The earliest churches, being typically made from imposing stone, were used in a secondary capacity as strongholds. Towers were ideal as lookouts and positions of defense, as well as signal stations to alert neighboring villages of enemy attack. It was used in this way again during the American Revolution when two lanterns in a church steeple alerted Paul Revere of the arrival of British troops at Lexington and Concord. In 1651 Charles II famously used the College Church steeple as a war room and looked out to observe the troops of Oliver Cromwell’s army that would soon defeat his Royalists. During times of peace it would sometimes become necessary to utilize the steeple as a prison. Some of the prisoners would be unshackled from the towers’ walls and brought before the Sunday congregation to sit in what was called a ’stool of repentance’. The practice was discontinued at one Edinburgh church, not because the parishioners objected to their house of prayer being used as a gaol but because they were tired of the inmates dropping stones on them during Service.

The great height of the steeple was often magnified by newer churches being built on the highest point in the area. In this way it served as a far off landmark in addition to facilitating the carrying of the sounds of the bells for miles around. As time marched forward the steeple would come to see service as a precursor to modernity. The first timekeepers would announce the hour of worship, as well as other important hours of the day, whether by bell or voice. In 1286 at St Paul’s Cathedral in London a mechanism was unveiled that would strike bells hourly for the citizenry. Only two years later Westminster Hall would install the first clock tower. During the Great Fire of London in 1666 more than fifty churches were destroyed. Heading the rebuilding effort was acclaimed architect Sir Christopher Wren. Having already been chosen to oversee the remodeling of St Paul’s Cathedral just 6 days before the fated fire, it was suddenly his charge to rebuild all the churches in the London area. His use of steeples on all the rebuilt churches heralded the more decorative, less utilitarian design we now have come to know.

When we think of Benjamin Franklin’s experiments with electricity it is always the image of the kite and key that comes to mind. But it was in the steeple of the Christ Church in what was then Philadelphia while studying lightning attracted by the church’s steeple that the idea of the kite and key first struck him. Before modern fire boxes and alarms, there were only church towers and the cries and the shaking of wooden rattles of townspeople to alert the fire brigades but this information was oftentimes insufficient or woefully misleading. Depending on the strength and direction of the wind the clanging bells might sound as though coming from the opposite direction and by the time confusion was cleared the fire might well be out of control. During the mid 19th century better designs for the passing of this critical information effectively ended the steeple’s use as a look out. It would seem the steeple would be relegated to ornamental status for a hundred years or so, only being thought of in terms of decoration if at all.

It wouldn’t be until the segueing of the masses to cellular phones combined with peculiar zoning laws to produce a niche opportunity for the spires to become useful yet again. In many areas with height requirements and fears of lowered property value, cell towers cannot be erected which leads to ‘dead zones’ for their customers. Many churches, both the inner city urban and those bucolic New England varieties, are finding themselves with a little extra in their coffers by leasing their steeples. Some parishioners are against this practice, mostly due to health concerns as the effects of the waves haven’t conclusively been decided. Others find it almost as tacky as renting out the rooftop for billboards. However the congregations weigh in, one thing is for certain…The only ringing in church should be from steeple bells and not people’s cells.