St Antholin's Spire

This steeple was once the crowning glory of a church in London along Budge Row, now known as Watling Street. It’s not far from St Pauls’s Cathedral and was based on designs by Sir Christopher Wren.

The spire is unusual as it is made entirely of stone. Most church steeples at the time were made from wooden frames with stone cladding. It soon became apparent that the main structure of the church was unable to support the weight of the spire and it was in danger of toppling. The spire was removed and replaced with a lighter-weight version.

A churchwarden called Robert Harrild, who was also a successful businessman, to purchase the spire for £5, a huge sum in those days. Harrild had the spire moved back to his home in Sydenham to its current location where it stands today.