Louth, Lincolnshire dominated by St James' Church, Louth, the spire. A recent survey has confirmed the height of the stonework as and to the top of the cockerel weather vane as . It also confirms it as one of the very finest medieval steeples in the country Though shorter than both Norwich Cathedral , and Salisbury Cathedral , in terms of spire height it is the tallest medieval parish church in the United Kingdom. The building of the spire commenced in 1501 and was finally completed in 1515. In 2015 came a remarkable discovery from the adjoining Rectory garden in the form
Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral building, as part of a wider phase of citywide construction and renovation. Only the earlier spire was retained for the new building. The older part of this church was described in 1862 as Doric in style, attached to a featureless modern tower with an "ill-formed" spire. The building was widely considered to be poorly designed. The "Dublin Builder" described it as "a shabby apology for a cathedral which has long disgraced Cork", while "The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland" judged it "a plain, massive, dull, tasteless, oblong pile, totally destitute of what is usually regarded as cathedral character, and possessing hardly