St Mary's Traditional Geocache
Professor Xavier: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it. Please note that as this cache has now been archived by a reviewer or HQ staff it will NOT be unarchived.
If you wish to email me please send your email via my profile (click on my name) and quote the cache name and number.
Regards
Ed
Professor Xavier - Volunteer UK Reviewer
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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The cache is a micro (35mm Film Canister) and you can almost drive to it but there is limited parking.
A little history:
According to the Domesday Book, in 1087 a priest named Brun occupied land here and preached the gospel. The present church dates from the early part of the 12th Century, and was begun by monks from Bec, the important Benedictine abbey in Normandy.
The interior comprises a chancel, a wide nave and two aisles north and south. The piers in the south arcade have square capitals which are a Norman feature, while those in the north arcade are round and Early English, dating from the 13th Century. The church is thought to remain substantially as it was in 1500 although some records state that there was a spire on top of the tower until it came down in a violent storm in 1727. The tower contains a single handed turret clock dated in part from 1699.
The east window in the chapel in the north aisle contains some 15th Century blue glass, and further vestiges of early glass may be seen in each of the three north windows in this aisle.
The chancel of St. Mary’s is decorated on three walls with a nearly complete set of medieval wall paintings, which is of national importance. It is believed that they were painted around 1320AD probably at the behest of the de Barantyn family who lived in one of the two manors in Chalgrove at the time. They were lime washed over at the time of the Reformation and then rediscovered in 1858 during a period of renovation work being carried out on the instructions of the then Vicar, the Rev’d Robert French Lawrence. Some of the paintings on the north wall are a little indistinct now due to their age and two of the paintings on the south wall were covered by marble memorials while the paintings lay hidden under the lime wash. If you are lucky the church may be open so that you can go in to see them.
You are very welcome to visit St.Mary's Church. From April to September inclusive the church is open from 11am to 2pm on Wednesdays and from 11am to 4pm on Sundays. At all other times the church is kept locked, except of course when there are services, but the key can be borrowed from Londis Stores or Premier News in the village centre aswell as from a number of people who are listed on a notice outside the north door. If you have a group of people who wish to see the medieval wall paintings then please see the page "The famous wall paintings" for arrangements.
Please replace the cache as found.
FTF goes to metal-bijou
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Obggbz bs gerr