St Michaels in the Hamlet Traditional Cache
Royal Oak: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it. It is not normal to unarchive a cache, which has been archived due to a lack of maintenance.
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Royal Oak
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St Michaels in the Hamlet
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Congatulations to Jaypea76 on the early morning FTF
St Michaels in the Hamlet is the first major Cast Iron built church in Liverpool possibly in England
The cache is a magnetic key safe and is NOT on the church premises
The church was built between 1813 and 1815 as a chapel of Ease to St Mary's Church, Walton. The church was built by John Cragg, the owner of the Mersey Iron Foundry, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool Cragg bought the land from the Earl of Sefton and built the church at his own expense, its final cost being £7,865 (£510,000 as of 2012).Cragg was a keen churchman and was always looking for new ways to use cast iron. He had already starting building St George’s Church Everton, using cast iron in its structure, and he planned to use more of it in St Michael's. Here it was used in the construction of the walls and for the Pinnacles. The cast iron in the walls formed a skeleton, the base of which was filled with Slate, and the remainder with brick. The brick was stuccoed. Internally he used it for the columns, for the tracery of the ceiling, and for mouldings. Cragg worked with the architect Thomas Rickamn on the design of both churches, although the relationship between the two was not always happy. The church was consecrated on 21 June 1815.
This was my local Church when I was young and attended this every week with my Parents and with Boys Brigade. Many a time have I taken the reading in this church and played in the band at remembrance day, However never did I realise how special this church was, even though it is a very special church both in its build and decoration. Unfortunately like a lot of churches these days, it is closed most of the time, however after being recently refurbished with grant money, we have been informed that the church is open on Saturdays for general visitors. I intend to go to confirm this sometime soon as I recommend that any cachers take the opportunity to go in and look round St. Michaels in the Hamlet for its place in history and its beauty.
Any of you that manage to go in to the church, do look out for the large plaque on the wall at the back of the church giving the names of all the QueensMen that the 46th Liverpool Boys Brigade produced. While attending the Funeral of the greatest Captain of the 46th Liverpool boys Brigade recently, I was amazed to find my name on this plaque.
Not far from this Cast Iron church is the recently refurbished Garden Festival site which now has 4 caches in it. When I was young and attending this Church the Garden Festival site was a wasteland of toxic substances known locally as the Cast Iron Shore, ( The Cassie). This area was a fantastic area to play for us children, even though it was fenced off for safety. Never stopped us getting in though. Again, as a child, I never realised the reason it was called the Cast Iron shore. Fairly obvious now, as to where all the waste products came from.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fgerrg sheavgher
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