The Church
A very pretty church in an exceptional spot (Orcop means 'top of the ridge') the church stands virtually by itself with only a few other buildings to keep it company, a mile or so from the hamlet of Orcop Hill. There is the site of a motte and bailey no more than 300 metres north of the church (at Moat Farm - great name!) which may explain why this church is here.
The church dates from the 12th century but, as is common, very little remains of the building from that time. Chronologically, the nave and north aisle were erected in the 13th century, the chancel in 1300, the tower in the early 1500's, and a major restoration took place in the years after 1860 by the new Revd who removed the medieval interior and replaced the rood screen with a painted arch and replaced the font and pulpit with modern Victorian ones. He also added the octagonal vestry and the church was re-roofed too but the internal roof remains medieval.
In 2000 the church had major repairs to the stonework, but more noticeably had a stained glass window (the only one) added into the eastern window. The design symbolises 'light'. The inside is well worth a peek.
The village itself now has little left in it given the closure of all it's seven (!) pubs, but the school building (now a private house) remains to the west of the church.
The Cache
The cache is a Letterbox type, just up a field from the church on a public footpath - a steepish, but short, amble to take you to a spot with great views down to the church and wider across the southern Herefordshire countryside (including the aforementioned Orcop Hill). As it is a letterbox there is of course a stamp and pad inside which needs to stay there please. Enjoy the church and the views!
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html