The original church in Great Warley was sited much further south; across the A 127, at the end of Church Lane. Only some of its gravestones now remain.
That church started to fall into disrepair when the village moved to the higher ground, where the village centre lies today; and in 1892 the then rector Bailey built a wooden church in the grounds of his home "Fairsteads". On his death, this was bequeathed to the parish of Baildon in Yorkshire. It was taken down and re-erected there.
In 1902, with money and the land donated by the Heseltine family, the present church of St. Mary the Virgin was built. The design and furnishing were entrusted to the architect Mr. C. Harrison Townsend and Sir William Reynolds-Stevens, sculptor and interior designer, both eminent artists in their fields, who could be expected faithfully to reproduce the contemporary Art Nouveau style for the interior.
It is one of only three in the Art Nouveau style churches in the country and has been said to be the best preserved of those. The church has been awarded Grade 1 listed status and its lychgate Grade 2 listed status.
Materials used for the interior are a mixture of various metals, marbles, and mother of pearl, together with the walnut furniture. There is much evidence all around of the Art and Craft movement and of the influence of the pre-Raphaelites.
Locally, it is popularly known as the "Pearl Church", because of the widely used mother of pearl decoration.
The cache has a log book but no pen so please bring one with you.
THE LAND OWNER HAS REQUESTED THAT THIS CACHE IS NOT TO BE ATTEMPTED AT NIGHT.
If any body would like to expand to this series please do, could you please let sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.