This is a large and ornate Church which dates from the late 12th Century. The Church guide states that the building is 122 feet long, 50 feet wide and the roof of the Nave is 33 feet high. There are later additions to the building, including the North and South Aisles which were added in the 13th Century, a chapel on the North side added in the 14th Century and the 15th Century tower and North porchway.
Many of the decorations are, for an English country church, quite "flamboyant" and many were added in the early 20th Century when the Vicar was a Rev'd Alard de Bourbel (1900 - 1934). In fact, above the door to the North Porchway is a figure of the Virgin and Child which was carved and placed there in his memory. The amount of decoration almost suggests a Catholic church or what is often described as "High Church".
The Eastern end of the Chancel was added in the 13th Century to the basic 12th Century Nave and Chancel but the glass, the reredos and the Altar are all fairly modern, again, added in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. There is some older glass in the Church including a 15th Century representation of St. Thomas of Canterbury in a 13th Century lancet window. The font is said to have a 12th Century bowl but again the rest of the baptistry was renewed in the early part of the 20th Century. The pews were replaced in the mid 19th Century.
Amongst the many objects of interest in this church are:-
OLD NORTH DOORS, these are late 14th century.
ANCIENT SHRINE, on the easternmost pillar of the north arcade; this has a double canopy with pinnacles, and was once painted. It was originally used for displaying the lights of St. John the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist - hence the double canopy. It is now a war memorial.
ANCIENT CHEST, of circa 1200. The ironwork is original but the locks are modern. The three locks had separate keys, and were kept individually by the vicar and two churchwardens. The chest had been hewn from the solid trunk of a yew tree - hence the name
To find this cache you will need to find the date on the clock mounted on the Church Tower, this will give you ABCD
51 09.(B-A-D)(B-D+A)C
001 06.C(D-A)C
Good luck and please hide the cache as found
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro@gmail.com.
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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