Church Micro 2591...Barley
The Church of St Margaret has been restored on a number of occasions since 1100 when the first church appears to have been erected on this site. In 1853 the fabric was in so ruinous a condition that a major rebuilding programme was called for William Butterfield the eminent Victorian architect was instructed by the Revd Robert Augustus Gordon (Rector 1853-1891) to draw up plans. As the result of that Rector’s enthusiasm and generosity (he himself contributed £4,700 towards the total cost of £5,385.18s.2d.) we have the building we see today. Work began in 1870 and the service of reconsecration was held on Thursday 13th June 1872. The restoration work is typically Butterfield with its lavish use of coloured marbles in arcading and in the reredos and also in the employment of patterned floor tiles and coloured banding on the Chancel walls. Local flints were used for the exterior, the main construction being undertaken by the firm of Gibbon of Buntingford. The chancel arcading and reredos are by Messrs Field Poole and Co of London. The pews were made by Mr Thomas Savell, a Barley craftsman. Kneeling boards in the pews are often found in Butterfield churches, for he was opposed to hassocks since not being fixed they presented a hazard to the unsure of foot among a congregation. The East Window lights are the work of Messrs Hardman and Co of Birmingham. In 1969 the interior of the church was cleaned and redecorated. Plaster work was painted with emulsion paint and the roof coloured blue. More recently the Organ has been cleaned and restored, for many pipes were blocked by an accumulation of dust and some had been so badly tuned in the past that they needed new tops to enable them to be restored to their original pitch. The Chancel was redecorated in 1994 and new lighting installed.
This is a traditional cache and IS at the published coordinates.
The cache is a 5ml tube.