Is there any basis in fact that the spire of st mary the virgin church bottesford was lowered during WWII?

Answer 1

There is no mention of this happening in anything I can find. It would have been a big undertaking to do this, although the logic would be that the spire is visible for miles around, it would have been difficult to spot from the air in darkness.

The Church (St. Mary) is a large and handsome structure of fourteenth and fifteenth century work, and with alterations made after the Reformation, and consists of a nave, a spacious chancel, having clerestory windows, two aisles, south porch, and north and south transept, with a square tower at the west end, and surmounted by a handsome crocketed spire, rising to a height of 222 feet, of which the tower measures 87 feet. The tower contains a fine peal of six bells, re-hung in 1869, of which the tenor weighs 27 cwt.; and there are in the steeple remains of chimes, which used to play every three hours. The church was thoroughly restored, new roofed, and re-seated in 1847, when new windows were inserted and a western arch opened, at a total expenditure of £2300, raised by rate and subscription An organ, built by Messrs. Forster & Andrews, of Hull, was placed in the church in 1859, at a cost of £240, and the tower was then repaired and a lightning conductor affixed, at an outlay of £70, raised by rate and subscription. The tower became so dangerous in 1864 that it was resolved to underpin the foundations with much harder stone, and to increase their projection. Eighty new steps were inserted in the tower in place of other which had broken from the newell and severed from the wall, sinking each of them nearly two inches. These works were completed at the cost of about £1900, defrayed by subscription.

Answer 2

It may have been a similiar operation to St Peter's RC in the centre of Birmingham since demolished (c1960's). Reason during WW11 the steeple was removed to make it look more like an industrial unit (ie factory etc ) from the air.