The Parish Church of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted, is a Church of England, Grade II listed building, the earliest part dating from c.1200, and the architecture spans at least five architectural periods, mostly 14th and 15th centuries. The church was altered greatly during the Victorian era, most notably undergoing a restoration by William Butterfield and most of the external stonework dates from 1870. It is in the Early English style, with clustered columns typical of the period. The church has a cruciform framework with a crossing tower. Original 13th Century windows survive in the old chancel and north aisle but most of the windows are of 14th century date.It is one of the largest churches in Hertfordshire.
A brass plaque can be seen inside the church today which lists all the rectors from the 13th Century to the present day. The turnover of rectors was especially high in the Fourteenth Century, probably due to their lives being cut short by the bubonic plague!
The 85 feet (26 m) clock tower was finished in 1546 and contains a peal of eight bells with a combined weight of 3.5 long tons (3.6 t). The bells were re-cast in 1837 from the bells dating from 1553 with additional metal by Mears and Stainbrook of Whitechapel. At the same time, a new clock was installed.
Throughout the church there is a good selection of Victorian stained glass and brasses from as early as the 14th century. There is also a medieval coffin top tomb (c.1200) with floriated cross in St Catherine’s Chapel near the south door. The font by the west door is made of marble and introduced in to the church in 1870 whilst the pulpit’s carved angels date from 1910. The Lady Chapel on the north side of the church is a lovely vaulted space and was probably part of the original 13th century building.
On to the cache...
The cache is an uncomplicated offset multi. Go to the given co-ords, gather up some information and plug the numbers into the formula below to work out the final location
Beside the first set of steps up to the church, there is a shoe scraper. How many flower shaped holes does it have in it? This is A
Look at the West door of the church. How many scrolls are there on each of the large hinges? This is B
Look at the war memorial nearby. On the panel with W. Dell at the top, how many Dyers are listed? This is C
Now walk round the church until you find some benches with memorial plates on them. Locate the bench which is dedicated to the memory of two husbands. First husband : 1939 - 198D. Second husband 19E6 - 20F4
N 51° 45.C(D+E)F W 000° 33.(A+B)EA
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