Wybunbury Tower

Wybunbury Tower stands in the village of Wybunbury, Cheshire, as the last remnant of St Chad’s Church. The rest of the building was demolished long ago, leaving only the 15th-century tower. It leans slightly to the north and is built from sandstone ashlar with a lead roof. The tower has five stages, a recessed west doorway and a three-light window above it. Niches beside the door and window once held statues, possibly of bishops, and a fifth niche holds a Trinity figure. A square wrought-iron clock face marks the fourth stage, while the fifth stage has two belfry openings. The tower is recognised as a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Monument. Its survival owes much to James Trubshaw, who straightened it in the 1790s by removing soil and soaking the ground. In the 1990s the same method helped stabilise Pisa’s Leaning Tower. The tower’s ring of six bells was cast in 1791 by John Rudhall of Gloucester. A lych gate nearby serves as the village war memorial. Visitors find a square tower rising above quiet lanes, its battlemented parapet crowned with crocketed pinnacles. The deeply recessed west door and tall window show fine stonework, while the niches still hold faint traces of their former statues. The clock face and belfry openings add to the tower’s character. A short walk brings the lych gate into view, marking the spot where coffins once rested before burial. The site offers a quiet place to stand beneath centuries of history.