Church Micro 4415...Eversley Traditional Geocache
Church Micro 4415...Eversley
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Regular sized Church Micro near a lovely picturesque church near Eversley. Take time to explore the church and definitely check out the massive tree in the church garden.
The Cache:
You are looking for a regular sized hinge top tin with a logbook, pen and a few goodies for swaps. The cache can of course hold trackables due to its size.
The Cache is not in the grounds of the Church or the Cemetery, it is in between on the public roadside outside of the cemetery boundary. There is parking nearby and the cache is available 24 hours. The cache I think is wheelchair friendly, although help may be needed just to reach in and grab the container.
Please re-hide carefully to prevent it being muggled.
St Mary's Church:
The present church was designed and built by John James between 1724 and 1735, although it has been a place of Christian worship for over 900 years. There is a large sarsen stone under the floorboards near the font which is thought to be connected with a pre-Christian religious site. The chancel screen is the only 18th century one in Hampshire. Eversley was the home of Charles Kingsley when he was rector from 1844 until his death in 1875. There is a plaque in the church to his memory. He wrote most of his books including The Water-Babies while living in the large house, now known as The Old Rectory, next to the church. One of the stained glass windows in the church shows two water-babies. In the churchyard there is a sequoia tree which was planted by his daughter Rose, just after his death, from a seed collected on his last American tour.
Charles Kingsley
A notable figure in the history of St. Mary's is the 19th century preacher, author, naturalist and social reformer: Charles Kingsley. He was Rector of Eversley for 31 years and founded the village school, which has recently celebrated its 150th anniversary.
John James
The architect John James is believed to have been responsible for the addition of the tower to St. Mary's church. He worked with Sir Christopher Wren, was Surveyor to St. Paul's Cathedral and built many churches and fine houses. These included Warbrook House, Eversley, where he lived and worked.
The Old Bells
It was in the 1960's that the two bells in the tower of the church of Blessed Mary the Virgin in Eversley, Hampshire, were last chimed for services. Chiming was stopped as the oak frame was found to be unsafe.
The tower was rebuilt, with the rest of the church, between 1724 and 1735 by John James, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. Inside, the church bears many reminders that Charles Kingsley was Rector here for thirty years. Just before he arrived in 1842 two of the then bells, probably three in number, were replaced by one. This transaction is noted in the Church Wardens accounts. The new bell was cast by Thomas Mears of London in 1841. Henry Knight of Reading made the other bell of the two in 1622.
The idea of adding to the ring of two was not a new one. In a local newspaper report on the opening of the great village pageant in 1919, the object of which was to raise money for a village hall to be called the Charles Kingsley Hall. There appears this: '... the opening was signalled by ... the clanging of the two bells - a reminder that if sufficient surplus of funds remain after the Kingsley Hall has been built the belfry awaits a further addition of bells to make the merry chimes which festive occasions require.'
Church Micro Series:
“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 & Information page found via the Bookmark list”
Congratulations on the FTF: "callcache"
And second to find: "annieanniemul"
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pebhpu orgjrra Gryrtencu Cbyr naq Jnyy, oruvaq ohfu.