The Co-ordinates above are for the suggested Car Park, which is within 50 metres of the cache location. Allow about 15 minutes for this cache.
Kingsley derives its name from the King's Lea, a meadow or pasture. At one time the village formed the 'clearing' which lay between the Alice Holt and Woolmer forests. Both the forests were favoured hunting grounds of the kings, and a royal hunting lodge is supposed to have been sited at Lode Farm, not far from the church.
Kingsley church belonged to Hyde Abbey, near Winchester, and the abbey monks supplied a chaplain for it. The field behind nearby cottages is still called Marks Field, and indeed one of the cottages was believed to have been occupied by a Priest.
The church had fallen into disrepair by the early 18th century, as more and more items of expense on church refurbishment were noted. In 1778, a major restoration had to be undertaken which involved rebuilding of the nave and the wooden upper tower.
The west wall, beneath the bell tower, is built of courses of deep purple heathstone, while the east wall is all that is left of the older church, being constructed of 'clunch' (chalk) which has been plastered. This wall has a window of two trefoiled lights, circa 1330, containing modern stained glass by the artist Geoffrey Webb, installed in 1949 as a memorial window.
Decoratively, the interior of the church is simple, but does contain several interesting items. Near the main door is a tub font, possibly 11th century, which has an 18th century metalwork cover of intricate design. It stands on a very old stone floor. A wooden chest, from about AD 1300, is believed to have been placed in the church by order of the Pope, who was raising money for the Crusades at the time. Unfortunately it was removed by thieves late in 1993.
The Mortuary Crib, possibly made from communion rails, is a very unusual feature, dating from the 1790s, the same age as the pews. Soon after these were installed, Jason Harding, a local carpenter, built the gallery.
When a new church (All Saints) was built on the main road to accommodate the villagers of both Kingsley and Oakhanger, the old St Nicholas church ceased to be used regularly for services, though burials continue. Declared redundant in 1975, the building is now cared for by Kingsley Parish Council and The Friends of St Nicholas (FOSN), and has been restored for use as a burial chapel. [Source: Some Ancient Churches in North East Hampshire, John Owen Smith]
At the Lych Gate, find what year it was dedicated by the Old Scholars of Ockham School? This is AXIS.
On St Nicholas Church there is an engraved stone commemorating church wardens Messrs KING & OSBORN. What is the date here? This is DRUM.
According to the notice in the porch, in what year did the bells ring out? Make this WINK.
NOTE : This notice has gone again. If I tell you that W=2, and I=N=K, I am sure you can work it out.
Now proceed to N 51 08.032 W000 53.292.
Take the weight off your feet, but not for to long as you need to find some more clues. When did Geoffrey Doggrell become Churchwarden? Make this LEFT.
How far is Bordon AND back from here? Call this O.
Finally onto the cache location itself, which is at :
N51 I’M NOT
W000 53 FAR
You are looking for a 35mm film can, so just a logbook, one swap (initially a keyring) and a token for the First to Find to discover. No pen, so please bring your own.
If anybody would like to expand this Church Micro series, please do, we would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
First to Find : Awarded to PetersfieldPoodlePosse