Church Micro 3286…Charlesworth (Monks Road) Traditional Cache
Church Micro 3286…Charlesworth (Monks Road)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Published originally in my 'Hymns on the Hill' series, this cache is now part of the church micro series, located behind Charlesworth Congregational Church, or Top Chapel as it is known by locals.
According to local legend, the first chapel on the site was erected by an Irish monk in gratitude for his survival when he was caught in a violent storm as he crossed the moors. During the Reformation, the building passed from the Catholic Church into the hands of the Church of England, but it became a nonconformist stronghold at the time of the Commonwealth and has remained so ever since. When it was rebuilt in 1797, the chapel was the only place of worship in the village and the parish church in all but name.
The foundations of non-conformist worship in Charlesworth can be traced back to the medieval chapel of St Mary Magdalen, believed to have been sited where 'Top Chapel' is now. The website of Charlesworth Baptist Church gives a more comprehensive account of the progression, whilst Non-Conformist Chapels and Meeting Houses, Derbyshire (1986) adds that a presbyterian congregation in the late 17th century may have been the remnant of that ministered to by John Jones, St Mary Magdalen's curate in 1650, who later became a non-conformist preacher in Marple. It also mentions a certificate issued in 1709 for a 'meeting house of protestant dissenters in Glossop Dale called Charlesworth Chapel'.
The present 'Top Chapel' building however dates from 1797, by which time the congregation had become Independent; and today it is "Charlesworth Congregational Church". Anyone who has been watching the recent TV drama, 'The Village' may be interested to note that this church is the one featured regularly in the programme, which was filmed predominantly over the hill in Hayfield.
This should be an easy find. Parking is available on Monks Road, just beyond the church, but take extreme care as it can be a dangerous road due to the steepness - do note parking will be hard if the church is holding a service. Although this should be clear, the cache is not in the wall, no stones are involved in any form. You need to take the footpath that runs down the side of the church - although there is a gate out of the churchyard, it is always locked! Alternatively this is a really easy add on to the CE series, and can be quickly approached from the Coombes Edge path.
Well done to NSJLC for getting here first.
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him.
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Onfr bs fynagrq cbfg, oruvaq fgbar
***abg va gur jnyy***
Treasures
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