St. Mary's Church presents a commanding presence on Upper
Street, but many people don't know of the
beautiful gardens surrounding the church on three sides. As you walk through the gardens, you will
enjoy shrubs, flowers, and large trees, with all the bird songs that accompany such a lush and green space. Numerous
pathways meander through the gardens, and you will find many park benches with
nice views of the pleasant surroundings.
The gates are posted with "closed at dusk"
notices, but I have been there on occasion in the early evening and found the
gates still open. Dogs are permitted, so
watch your step, especially if you wander off the pavement.
Note: The original cache has been removed,
probably by overzealous gardeners or mischievous kids. I visited today to replace the log sheet and
found that the entire container was gone. And yes, the shrubs near the cache had been hacked to the ground. The
cache has been relocated to another area of St. Mary's Church Gardens and one with much better GPS reception. If you look at the picture called “The spire of St. Mary’s Church”, you will be standing very close to the new cache location. The coordinates above reflect the new location. And this time, magnets are involved, so look
for ironwork near the coordinates.
When originally placed, the cache included some US
coins, a few small toys, a log sheet, pencil and sharpener. I also included the TB "We Three Keys", a set of keys who began life in Islington but each met untimely
deaths. They are on a journey through
graveyards, cemetaries, and church crypts throughout
the UK. After all, they are skeleton keys...
The new cache is a 35 mm film container and contains a log only, so bring your own pen or
pencil. And while you are filling it in,
enjoy the blossoms and flowers in the garden; they are going to be impressive
this spring.