This cache has been placed to bring you to the Parish Church of All Saint’s Kempston.
The cache only contains a log - you will need a writing implement!
Please note that the final cache is located outside the churchyard..
Please take time to explore the peace and tranquility, but please be respectful in the church and its grounds.
The church of All Saints, Kempston is located in Church End, a little way from the main part of Kempston, now a suburb of Bedford. The church is near the river Great Ouse and parking is a short distance away on the approach road to the church..
The church consists of a nave and chancel with north and south aisles, a west tower, two storey south porch and a vestry to the north of the chancel. The chancel is about 27' by 17' with the nave adding 48' by about 20'. The north aisle is about 9' wide but the south larger at about 14'. The tower is about 16sq' and about 50' high. Parts of chancel and tower date from the 12th century while the nave and aisles were added in the 13th century. The clerestory, south porch were added in 15th Century.
The east window of the aisle depicts Nathanael under the fig tree as described in John 1 v 43-51, Christ with Philip and Nathanael and Angels ascending and descending from heaven
The glass in the eastern window is dedicated to the memory of Harry Barker, possibly the son of the vicar of the time. In his memory a Children’s Church or Sunday School was formed in 1836.
The porch was added in the 15th century with an external staircase to the east. There is also access from inside the church using a stair turret through a door at the west end of the south aisl. The porch has a two-light trefoiled window to the west with a quatrefoil design in the head under a pointed arch. A similar window on the east side of the porch is blocked by the external stairs added in 1837.
On the west side of the outer doorway is a ‘mass dial’. This acted as a form of calendar, the priest moved a central pointer to show when the next Mass would be said in Church.
The Norman tower was built in two stages with an internal staircase in the south-west corner. The buttress in the south-west corner was presumably rebuilt when the stair was added as it now differs from that on the north-west corner.
The west doorway is 15th century with a square head and a pointed sub-arch below. There is foliage decoration in the north spandrel but none in the south.
The east window is partly obscured by the extension to the original 1823 vestry westwards to meet the aisle. The window is of three cinquefoiled lights with high perpendicular tracery above under a four-centred arch. The glass in the window dates from 1912 and was erected ‘In memory of Amy Christian the beloved wife of William Long FitzPatrick died August 1st 1910. The glass depicts King David with a lyre, Christ as the light of the world and St John in the three panes.
The modern east window is in 14th century style. The glass in the window depicts St Peter with the keys to the kingdom of heaven, St John holding a book and St Paul holding a sword that represents the manner of his death.
The font dates from the 14th century and is square with chamfered corners sitting on four three-quarter shafts with capitals and bases. The carvings around the font are of Saints and the apostles. These carvings were damaged under the orders of Cromwell in 17th century. The oak cover dates from 1901.
The south aisle holds an altar with a piscina. The arcades have three bays with the south arcade having a lower middle arch with the columns octagonal. The north arcade columns are slightly earlier in design and are round.
The chancel arch holds a modern rood with the rood staircase accessed from the north aisle.
The main altar has a double piscina to the side with a central support column, an unusual feature in a church of this size.
The tower arch holds the organ with a gallery above accessible from the tower. The organ dates from 1860 and was moved to its present location in 1889.
The north aisle holds two painted medieval panels believed to be from the 15th century. Their origin is uncertain and may have come from another church to be hidden at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. They tell the story of Adam and Eve from Genesis.
To locate the final cache you need to find the final resting place of Susannah Lambert who died Nov AB 18CD, Aged EF years.
N52 (D-E) D . (D-C) (E+A) (D-E)
W00 F (F-A) . (A+B-F) (E+B) A
If anybody would like to expand to 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
To view the church micro stats page, please click here