Amusement for a King
The following story appeared in the Nottingham Guardian and was
reproduced in the Grantham Journal, July 21st, 1883:
'Charles II witnessed the ascent of
a posture-master up the steeple of Grantham Church, who stood upon
his head upon the weathercock. The facetious monarch told him
forthwith that he might forthwith have a patent that none other
should do the like but himself. We have not heard whether the
performer accepted the proffered "patent" or not.'
What we do know is that a few other
people have successfully climbed the spire.
Fun at the Mid Lent Fair
The following is written in the Register of Baptisms, Marriages
and Burials for St Wulfram's Church:
John Johnson Farmer Servant from Corby climd Grantham Spire
and sat upon the top stone March 21st 1774, being Mid Lent
Fair.
Not once but three times: William Moore
A man named William Moore climbed the spire three times. He was
a native of Grantham and was born in Church Lane. The first time he
climbed the spire was during an election in Grantham. In order to
escape a mob, he climbed the spire by the crockets. The next time
he climbed up, the spire was under repair and again he climbed by
the crockets and his sweetheart went up by the ladders and they met
and kissed each other over the top of the spire.
The third and final time he went up was to bid goodbye to his
home and native land. He tied a handkerchief to the top and while
the handkerchief blew away bit by bit, he was laid in his grave in
France. He died in 1821. (From an account given by a relative of
William Moore)
He is believed to have scratched his name on the weather vane,
as it was reported that the name 'Moor' was seen on the vane in
1860 when it was taken down to be re-gilded.
The tallest man climbs a tall steeple: Harry Henderson
In October 1883, the tower and spire were under repair, and a
ladder and small stage had been erected for this purpose. Three
young choirmen, with the consent of the man in charge of the
repairs, attempted to climb to the top of the steeple. All went
well until they reached the apex of the highest window, where the
ladder ended and the stage had to be negotiated. Two of the men
gave up at this point, but 20 year old Harry Henderson, at 6ft 4ins
the tallest man in Grantham at the time, continued and made his way
up the final twenty feet via the crockets.
Once at the top he sat on the stone where the weathervane had
been (it had been removed for cleaning) and admired the stunning
view. He said that the crockets were quite easy to climb, as
alternate crockets had flat surfaces, providing an
adequate foothold.
Harry lived to the age of 91 years, and in his 80's told
friends he would like to climb the steeple again!
(information provided by relatives of Harry Henderson, and his own
account of the adventure)
The Vicar said "certainly not!" but he went ahead:
James Ingram
In December 1893 a man named James Ingram, of Wellingborough,
Northants, went to the Vicarage and said that he was a steeplejack
out of work and asked if he could climb the church spire. The
vicar, Revd Canon Glaister, gave an emphatic refusal and gave James
Ingram some money and the man appeared to leave.
However, James Ingram was not put off. He went to the home of
the parish clerk, Mr Wilkinson, and asked if he could ascend as far
as the olliers (the pathway at the top of the tower). The parish
clerk was out, so his wife took Ingram to the belfry, leaving him
to ascend the staircase by himself.
Of course, once at the base of the spire he took off his boots,
and climbed upwards by the crockets, apparently with coolness and
ease, watched by a crowd which had gathered below in anticipation
of the event.
Once he had reached the weathervane, he waved his hat at the
spectators, and then tied a coloured handkerchief to the top, after
which he descended calmly. His arrival back on the ground was
greeted by a cheer, and a collection was taken on his behalf. After
that he was carried shoulder high down Swinegate.
James Ingram was known in Rutland and Northamptonshire as 'the
prince of the air' and 'parachute Jim,' and had climbed several
other church spires. He was in fact a bricklayer, and had
constructed a house without the aid of scaffolding. He was
originally from Oakham, Rutland. He died in Northampton Poor Law
Institution, aged 72.
Worth a gallon of beer
Between the two World Wars, within living memory, a man who was
unemployed and had no money went into a Grantham pub and asked for
a pint of beer. The landlord replied that if the man could climb to
the top of St Wulfram's spire, he would be rewarded with not just a
pint, but a gallon of beer.
The man, who was a steeplejack, easily climbed to the top of the
spire and to prove it tied his handkerchief to the weather vane.
The landlord awarded him the promised gallon of beer. History does
not record how long he took to drink it!
A Good Place for an Advertisement
The Grantham Journal of April 19th 1962 referred to a sidesman
at St Wulfram's, Mr Warren, who was due to leave Grantham to move
to Foston. His claim to fame was that he climbed the spire in 1954
to fix huge illuminated letters to make the Bible Exhibition known
to all passers-by.
Climbing the Spire in 2011
In the Autumn of 2011, as part of the inspection of the spire
our intrepid Church Architect Graham Cook climbed the spire, and we
have a photograph to prove it!
Right to the Top in 2014
In 2014, in order to repair the damaged section of the spire,
scaffolding was erected from ground level right to the top of the
spire. At 10.45am on the morning of Friday 13th June, Mike Gaffney
and Roger Graves from the Rotary Club of Grantham, Graham Cook,
church architect, Fr Stuart Cradduck, Rector of St Wulfram's,
together with two bell-ringers, David Braunton and Mr Fletcher from
Barrowby, ascended via the scaffolding to the very top of the
spire. Mike Gaffney stood on top of the weathervane.
The weathervane was later removed, and was displayed for several
weeks in the West Porch of St Wulfram's Church.