All Saints Church in Wing is one of the oldest buildings in Buckinghamshire. While parts of the main structure date from the 8th century there are features to be found both inside and outside the church that have been salvaged from an earlier Roman structure.
Wing itself was first recorded in the will of Lady Ælfgifu, who was a member of the Mercian royal family, in the late 10th century. At this time the church was a minster, served by a community of clergy, who ministered to an area much larger than the parish of Wing as it stands today. All Saints remained a minster until just after the Norman Conquest, and its last Dean was an Anglo Saxon priest named Goldric.
The earliest part of the church today is the chancel, and is best appreciated from outside. This part of the church dates from the 8th and 9th centuries and includes an open crypt, which can be seen through the iron grates over the arches at ground level. The columns separating the nave from the north and south aisles also date from this period.
The existing north and south walls were added between the 10th and 14th centuries, and the tower and south porch between the 15th and 16th centuries. The most notable Victorian additions to the building were the north porch and the stained glass windows, which were designed under the direction of the noted Scott family.
Inside the church, which is well worth viewing, one can find a fine 15th century baptismal font as well as three grand memorials to the Dormer family dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Guide books are available inside the church, priced at £3.
Onto the cache:
The cache can be found at N51 53.ABC W000 43.DEF where:
- A = Genesis 7:6, word 4
- B = Exodus 21:2, word 7
- C = Leviticus 25:3, word 1
- D = Numbers 2:9, word 21
- E = Deuteronomy 13:17, word 5
- F = Joshua 8:12, word 5
You will need something magnetic to get the cache out of its hole! Good luck.
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