The church sits on the edge of the land of Madingley Hall, looking out over the sweeping park and lake. It sits in an impressively bumpy churchyard full of yews - this is a very old religious site, and we have records of a Saxon church having preceded the current building.
The church of St. Mary Magdalene built around the 11th century was restored in 1885 and standing in the park, is a small building of stone, chiefly in the Early Decorated style, and consisting of chancel, clerestoried nave of five bays, north aisle and an embattled western tower and spire containing 2 bells.
The tower built some time around the year 1200, with a parapet made of broken fragments from Saxon tombs. The spire is 15th century and in 1927 the tower and spire were rebuilt at a cost of £2,000, defrayed by the Harding family.
The chancel is Early English, rebuilt in 1877, but the chancel arch and the nave arcading are Decorated a very finely moulded arch, acutely pointed, opens into the tower. There is a Norman font, brought here from the now destroyed church of St. Etheldreda, Histon.
A new organ was provided in 1908 by Col. Harding
There are 150 sittings. The register dates from the year 1539.
Records of baptisms, marriages, burials and banns reside in the Cambridgeshire Archives.
Extracts from Kelly's Directory- Cambridgeshire - 1929. and www.druidic.org.
The cache is a 35mm film pot and only has room for a log book and pencil - please replace it exactly where you find it.
Please note - the cache is not in or on Church property.
There is convenient parking a little way down the road, at the suggested co-ordinates, as there is no suitable parking near the church itself. Stealth is required and the cache is wheelchair accessible.
**************************************
For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro@gmail.com.
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
*************************************
This cache meets the GAGB Urban Placement Guidelines.