h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

FWR:

Bob's use of the tree and lamp post to mimic the shape of the spire is very clever. Monochrome scenery gives this view a lovely timeless quality.

That church looks to me like a magical animal. We can see the butt and tail close up. The spire sits on a head; you can see one eye as if the head is halfway turned toward us. Thank heavens it's not like Howl's moving castle; I would not want it following me down the street.

Yes, the spire makes a natural focal point.

I wondered why they made it like that, with gaps in it. Did they run out of money? Or build part of it, then build the rest later? Or were they taking part in a competition to build the most original tower?

They probably built it a little bit at a time.

But nothing compares to the long time it took to build Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague, which was started in 1344. Building came to a halt during the Hussite War, and a fire in 1541 caused some damage. The church stood half-finished for centuries. A Baroque spire was added in 1753. In the 1860s, a Program to finish the church was started. By the time of St. Wenceslas jubilee in 1929, the church was finally finished, nearly 600 years after it was begun.

Parenthetically, there are many apparently half-finished houses in the world. This might seem odd until you realize that bricks are a time-honored way to put aside extra money. it's not like anybody's going to consider them valuable enough to steal. As you get the money, you buy bricks with them, and eventually you have your dream house.

It could be a competition with the church in the next village about who has the tallest spire.

Those competitions can be dangerous. Last year, one of the Sylvester bonfires on the beach in the Hague caused huge fire damage in the city due to fire tornadoes that sprayed burning coal over a residential area. It was claimed that the pile of wooden pallets was 48 metres high (probably exaggerated) and over 10000 cubic metres in volume (verified).

To get back to the photo: It would have been even more perfect if the speedcounter had shown 42 instead of 44, but you can't have everything...

Thanks for the comments Caiman raptor elk, It might be the local building style for that part of Normandy.
Thanks for the excellent description of the building style

When a steeple falls down, does it ex-spire?

Do steeplejacks drink applejack?