But parishioners of St James Church in Dry Doddington refused to give up its iconic slant.
The church received the money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to make urgent repairs in order to make it structurally sound and weatherproof.
Revd Sonia Barron, the rector of St James, told Premier's News Hour: "It has a lean of approximately five degrees from the vertical... the Leaning Pisa is 3.99 [degrees]."
"We have logged about 80 to 100 visitors annually but since it's been in the press that has gone up to about as much as 300, so it does seem that it's something that's attractive.
"In fact this morning I was there and I met somebody who had read the article... He's visiting the area anyway from Hampshire and he thought having read that he ought to come and see this famous tower."
Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speaking to Revd Sonia Barron on the News Hour:
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