The Church
The medieval church of St Michael and All Angels whose fine spire welcomes us from afar, lies at the heart of Mitcheldean on the northern fringes of the Forest of Dean. It is a place of living worship and yet retains some of the art and craftsmanship used in its building so long ago. Should you arrive on a Thursday morning between 9am and 11am, you will be warmly welcomed by the aroma of coffee and cake. The Church is open every day during the hours of daylight. As impressive as the building is from the outside, please take the opportunity to view the treasures within.
It comprises a chancel, four-bay clerestoried nave, a south aisle and two north aisles, a south porch and a tower with a spire at the west end of the south aisle. The bulk of the church is 14th Century, but the outer north aisle, the clerestory and unusual rooves were added in 1460. The Church was restored by Henry Woodyer in 1853 when the sanctuary was rebuilt. The church tower has a slender spire rebuilt by Nathaniel Wilkinson in 1760. The nave is very high with a 15th Century wagon roof with ribs, plastered panels and a large number of bosses. The rooves of the two north aisles have elaborate carvings including angels holding shields. It is said that you can lie on the floor of the aisles and count over one hundred angels above you. A challenge which I have completed and made both of my children do too – don’t worry, you don’t have to do this to get the cache!
There is a range of stained glass in the Church by Kempe, 1887; Walter Crane, 1911; Rogers of Worcester and John Hayward, 1968. The restored font is the recreation of a previous font that was partially destroyed at an unknown date - thus the upper part of the basin, at least 39 cm of it, is a total restoration and the only original part is the lower part comprising the portion with diminishing circumference displaying the lower remnants of the clothed figures; plus the area of the base, with increasing circumference, which displays the feet of the Apostles and the acanthus motifs. Historian Gethyn-Jones (1979) lists this font as a being of the same origin as those found at Newnham-on-Severn, Rendcomb and Hereford Cathedral. The goblet-shape basin portrays the figures of the twelve Apostles carrying books, some wearing Eucharistic robes; St. Peter carries his key.
Something Special in our Church - The Doom (Last judgement) and Passion Painting
The Church of St Michael's has one of the few remaining panel paintings of The last Judgement in the country and it is even rarer for this to be combined with scenes from the Passion of Christ. These are painted directly onto oak boards which formed the background to the rood loft instead of a stone chancel arch. From the style of the clothing of the figures the paintings were probably made in the last quarter of the 15th or early 16th Century. At a later date (presumably the reformation) they were whitewashed over, but were rediscovered and the paint removed in 1831. They were cleaned again in 1968. All but the end panels are clearly discernible. The four panels beneath the Doom painting are another visual aid in the form of eight scenes from the Passion of Christ and are reminiscent of Mystery plays of the time.
The Village
The Parish and former market town of Mitcheldean lies 16.5 km west of the city of Gloucester. Mitcheldean, once part of the Forest of Dean, was usually called Dean until the mid 13th century. Afterwards it was generally known as Micheldean or Great Dean, in the Latin form Dean Magna, to distinguish it from nearby Littledean. The form Mitcheldean was in use by the mid 17th century and the parish was occasionally called Michael Dean, from the dedication of its Church, by that time. Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits. During the 19th century, the town grew due to revenues produced by the local brewing industry, while in the 20th century the town grew further due to the Rank Xerox photocopier factory. Although this industry significantly declined during the latter half of the 20th century, much of the former Rank Xerox site (now Vantage Point Business Village) is now occupied by small businesses, new manufacturing and distribution businesses.
“If anybody would like to expand this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first at churchmicro@gmail.com 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 to Slyatslys for being the First to Find the cache!