History

From the beginning, the Old Church stood directly on the 'Delf', the old word for 'canal', from which Delft owes its name. So when they wanted to build a tower on the church in 1325, there was no place for it. That is probably why the water was diverted and the moat filled in. The moat is now called Oude Delft, but the diversion is still visible on the map.

Thus, the tower was partly built on an old moat. However, this did not prove to be a solid foundation for the heavy stones. Already during construction, the tower started to sink. Fortunately, they managed to stabilise it - for the time being - and then continued bricklaying in lead. Hence the 'kink' in the tower, which is clearly visible from a distance.

The leaning tower - jokingly also called 'Leaning John' - has now been fully stabilised. But for a long time, Delveners feared it would fall down. In 1843, the city council even wanted to demolish the tower. Fortunately, thanks to fierce protests, that plan was never implemented. Thus, the tower of the Old Church reached its current status: seventy-five metres high and almost two metres out of plumb.