St Mary and All Saints Church is located in the market town of chesterfield in Derbyshire. The church is known for its crooked spire, it is a visible landmark and is why the local football team is known as The Spireites.

The spire was added to the tower in about 1362. It is built of an oak frame, clad with lead. Where the top of the stone tower and base of the wooden spire meet there is no apparent fixing, so the spire sits balanced unattached on the top of the tower.The spire is both twisted and leaning, twisting forty five degrees and leaning nine feet six inches from its true centre. The leaning characteristic is believed to be the result of the lack of skilled craftsmen from the Black Death, which had been gone only twelve years prior to the spire's completion, insufficient cross-bracing, and the use of unseasoned timber.

In 1961, the church suffered a serious fire which was just controlled in time to save the spire. It broke out in the organ loft, on December 22nd, destroying the Schnetzler organ, which was one of only six extant in the world. Church officials and staff from the Library dashed in to save all that was possible in the way of Church furniture, registers and other valuable books and ornaments. These were then stacked in the Library. They risked life and limb, from the falling roof timbers and fire to save as much as they could.