Church Micro 2579 Christ Church West Wimbledon Multi-cache
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 Please note that as this cache has now been archived by a reviewer or HQ staff it will NOT be unarchived.
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Ed
Professor Xavier - Volunteer UK Reviewer
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Church Micro 2579 Christ Church West Wimbledon
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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In the mid-1850s a need was seen for a church in the Copse Hill area. In 1857 an appeal was launched to provide funds to build a church, or more correctly a chapel-of-ease, and within a short time £6,000 was raised. The building contract for the church amounted to £3,425.
So it was on Monday 15th August 1859 that a new church in 'grounds of half an acre or thereabouts' was dedicated by the Bishop of London, Rt. Revd Archibald Tait. The church was built in Kentish ragstone, with buttresses and some other parts of Bath stone. The architect was Samuel S. Teulon, a man of Huguenot descent, who designed a number of churches in the London area. However, it should be remembered that the original church was smaller than we see today. It did not have a south transept, the main entrance was on the north side and the nave was one bay shorter. The present bells of the church were rung for the first time on All Saints Day, 1899. They are at the top of a narrow flight of 50 steps, but the six bells are fixed in position and cannot be pealed. This is because of the position of the tower. The bells are rung with clapper lines operated by a single ringer. It is said if the bells were hung in the normal position and then rung they would pull the tower down!
Major changes to the church since 1859 have included (i) the adding of a south transept, designed by Teulon, in 1860, (ii) the north door ceased to be used as the main entrance (maybe because of the chilly winds that came in from the fields opposite) and (iii) in 1881 it was decided to lengthen the nave. This entailed taking down the west wall, extending the nave by one bay, and rebuilding the west wall incorporating a new porch.
The church started out as a chapel-of-ease, but by 1872 the possibility of parochial status was discussed but nothing happened. Further attempts were made over the decades but nothing changed until the church's Centenary Year when a fresh application was made. The request was considered by the Privy Council in August 1961, and this time the application was allowed. So on 18th September 1961 a service was held for the induction of Rev. Uthwatt as the first vicar of the new parish of Christ Church, West Wimbledon.
Co-ordinates given take you to one of the gates of the churchyard. The cache (35mm film cannister) is actually hidden outside the church grounds at:
N 51 25.0A5
W 000 13.BCD
The birdbath in the churchyard features the date 192A.
The first Sunday service is held at Bam.
Perhaps you arrived here on the C00 bus.
Stan Tanner was churchwarden here until 197D
It should all be reasonably wheelchair accessible and is certainly fine with a pushchair.
“If anybody would like to expand this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
There is also a Church Micro Stats page found via the Bookmark list”
NOTE: cache is now a magnetic nano, as of November 2017
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ze Gnaare'f vasb pna or sbhaq ba n yvggyr cyndhr ng gur onfr bs n fznyy gerr.