The headline coordinates brings you to the rear of St Machael's Church on Poole Hill in Bournemouth. This Church is currently undergoing
extensive renovations and after that is done they are relaunching the Church. Please be aware of this while collecting the information.
The Church itself was built 1873-76, R. Norman Shaw, tower 1900-1, John Oldrid Scott.
Shaw's church conventional externally: high clerestory with coupled lancets,
wider spaced lancets to aisles, gabled south porch, triple-chamfered arch. Lean-to western narthex, 1930 by W.D Caröe.
Chancel windows are groups of traceried lancets under relieving arches, five-light at east, three-light at sides. South east War Memorial Chapel,
Y-tracery windows, 1920 by Sir T.G Jackson. North east gabled organ chamber and flat-roofed vestry (high chimney) attached by single-storey link
(traceried, canted bay on west side) to Church Hall. Splendid high and massive tower at south east corner of nave:
very tall couple two-light belfry windows with two transoms and Y-tracery, big polygonal pinnacles on clasping buttresses with many set-offs,
gabled doorway to south, gabled stair-turret to north east.
Interior with five-bay nave arcades, triple-chamfered on circular columns, clerestory windows with boldly unmoulded splays,
connected at top by double-chamfered inner arches, each pair framed by sharp triangular shafts on corbels, with stringcourse below and continuous cornice.
Roof of three posts on tiebeam, open canted rafters.
Elaborate but conventional furnishings by R.G Pinder: pulpit 1889 (sculptor, W.J Warren, alabaster panels, green colonnettes, pink marble arches);
murals in chancel 1889 (painted by Cox Sons, Buckley and Co); reredos 1884 (English altar with Majestas added circa 1925).
Stained glass: twenty good aisle windows by Henry Holiday for Powells, circa 1880, east window by Mayer and Sons of Munich 1882
west window by Christopher Whall 1913. Sculpture in War Memorial Chapel by Sir George Frampton..
To find the Geocache you need to walk around the Church and gather information from the 2 way points
Stage 1:- From the FRONT of the Church you can go round the Left Side to the back of the Church. Here you will see a door and there is some iron work on the 2 wooden doors. The Iron work has shapes or designs on the ends of the iron above and below, coming off the hinges.
How many Curled Ends are there on the top half = A
How many Floral type Ends are there on the top and bottom halves = B
From this Waypoint look up. How many open designs are on the Parapet on the Tower can you see from here = C
Stage 2:- you need to walk back round to the front of the Church to the South side on the way you will pass The Foundation Stone
August 31st 1D99
Once at the door- Around the outside edge of the Door here you can see how many Designs EF
You now need to do some calculations
N50 43.(B-E)F(C-A) W001 53.CE(D-A)
Checksum for all coords = 35
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html