St Nicholas - Ringwould
Once on the edge of a huge forest that extended inland to almost Canterbury, the village of Ringwould occupies a commanding position on the chalk downs close to the English Channel. Bronze Age artefacts have been recorded hereabouts, as have Anglos Saxon graves. An Anglo-Saxon settlement is mentioned in a charter made by King Æthlbert in 861.
St Nicholas Church is the oldest existing building in the village, thought to have been built from 1130 and gradually extended until the Black Death in 1348 brought building work to a halt. The original building consisted of the present nave and part of the chancel. If you stand at the back of the church it is easy to see that these are not quite in alignment, but whether that is due to the original builders being at fault, or for a deliberate reason, today we can only guess. What is known is that the 12th century church is itself predated by the two mighty Yew trees in the churchyard. The eastern most one having been aged as 1300 years and the other at 1000 years.
The church originally had a wooden spire, but by 1628 this was in such a dangerous condition that the villagers petitioned the archdeacon to demolish the wooden spire and replace it with a flint and brick tower. They also requested from the archdeacon that they be permitted to keep the lead from the original wooden spire, valued at £28, towards meeting the £ 100 cost of the new tower. The very noticeable onion dome turret is a much later addition added as a navigational aid to shipping in the English Channel, paid for by the Cinque Port Pilots.
As with most churches in the Victorian era, St Nicholas underwent huge alterations between 1867-89. A small organ dated 1878 was installed and is still in use. The exterior pf the church, except the tower, had originally been rendered, but this was removed and the flint facings added. The roof of the nave had been much lower than the chancel but was raised to the same height. The only original Norman windows remaining is the one containing the representation of St Nicholas in the west wall of the tower. There are 6 bells, one from the 14th century, 4 dated 1638, and one was added in 1957, no doubt to the amusement of the landlord of the local pub. The interior is well worth a visit, alas these days the church is often locked.
The cache is a 40x40mm pot located outside the churchyard at N51 11. ABC E001 22. DEF
1. In memorium to E * A * E . Answer = A9B3
2. How many screws hold the South door handle? Answer = D
3. A nautical memorial to David Frank Sturdee. Date of death. Answer = C E
4. In memorium to B * G * E . 19?? . Add last two digits. Answer = F
"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. There is also a Church Micro Stats page found via the Bookmark list or it can be viewed here "
Covid-19: If you have no intention of signing the physical logbook in this geopot at this time, please visit when you are prepared to sign it. ALL physical logbooks MUST be signed for a claim to a find to be made.
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