There has been a Church on this spot since the 14th Century and it nestles into the hillside below Hale House and overlooks the Avon valley. Over the years it has been much altered, the nave being rebuilt in 1631 and the chancel added in 1632. In 1715 the architect Thomas Archer purchased Hale estate, pulled down the Elizabethan mansion, built the current Palladian house, landscaped the park and added the transepts to the church. In the 19th century it was reroofed and a bellcote was added on the north transept.
There is much of interest inside the church.
Thomas Archer erected a significant marble monument to himself on the south side.
The May family took over the estate in 1789 and beneath the south transept there is a sealed brick and cast iron vault (the iron being forged at the new foundry at Bramshaw) which holds 12 members of family, together their much loved Governess. Each lies in an ornately decorated lead lined leather covered coffin, most of which were still in good order when the vault was last opened for inspection in 2002.
The font is circular, of medieval date, with an early 17th century carved band.
There are two splendid stain glass windows in memory of Colonel Goff who died in the Boer War, one showing St Michael and the other an Old Testament prophet, with face of a military officer of the period!
The cache is down the hill from the church on the Avon Valley path and is a 35mm film container. You will need to bring your own writing instrument.
This cache forms part of our first series which consists of 9 traditional caches of various sizes near Hale and Woodgreen. You can do them all as a circular walk of about 4km through a variety of different environments. There are short stretches on minor roads, so take care, but it is mostly on footpaths.
We suggest you park near the Church Micro on the circuit (St Mary’s Hale GC45Y2W), or near the Avon Valley Path on Woodgreen Common, if you want to do them all.
The caches on the route are (in order) St Mary’s Hale, Lime Avenue, Mistletoe Path, Picket Well, Holly Bridge, Higherend, Shady Corner, Under the Oak Tree, Moot Lane.
We hope you enjoy the walk.