Church Micro 2903…Beeston Regis, All Saints Traditional Cache
Church Micro 2903…Beeston Regis, All Saints
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This large church sits on the cliff top between Cromer and Sheringham, not far from West Runton church. There are very few churches which can boast such a view. To the west is a large caravan park, and the park and church share the same entrance from the coastal road. The graveyard is long and wide, stretching eastwards of the church, and there is a large green to the south.
The medieval village was to the north of the church and has now been lost to the sea. The present village and all recent development is further south. The Church is under the patronage of the Duchy of Lancaster. The Living was first linked to the Duchy in 1319, but was not formally part of the Lancaster inheritance until the crowning of Henry IV in 1399.
From the outside the church building has no outstanding features, except a tower of an unusual construction for its period. This dates from the late 11th or early 12th centuries. The large majority of Norfolk towers of this period were round, simply because it was easier to build a tower of this shape with local pebbles. The interior of the church is very well kept. It is well proportioned and full of interesting features, including medieval roofs and benches, monumental brasses, an Elizabethan communion table and a brick pattern floor around the font. The light wood and blue carpet add to the pleasing interior that greats you.
The unexpected treasure of All Saints is its magnificent rood screen (see below). It is late 15th century, probably contemporary with the restoration of the nave at that time, and is delicately carved and intensely coloured. Money was being left for the rood itself in 1519. The twelve panels of the dado are in pairs, and depict the twelve Apostles, St Paul being paired with St Matthew. From left to right, the panels on the north side show St Matthew and St Paul, St James the Less and St Jude, and St James and St Andrew. On the south side are St Peter and St John, St Bartholomew and St Simon (with an axe rather than the fish found more frequently in Norfolk) and last of all St Philip and St Thomas. There are some dragons in the spandrels.
Within the churchyard is a large stone being used to cover a grave. It is approximately 4 feet long x 2 feet x 18 inches high, being a rectangular block of granite, with circular depressions on the uppermost surface. On each side is inscribed the names of the grave's occupants. This is originally one of a pair which stood at either side of a pathway in the yard of the farmhouse, in the grounds of the nearby ruined Beeston Priory. The path itself led to what is now known as the Abbot's Freshwater Spring Pond.
A local tale says that about 1938-41, when both boulders were in place, a farmer named James Reynolds often drove his horse and cart along this pathway. Several times, a hooded grey ghost would hide behind two boulders and would leap out from behind one of the stones at sunset, and try to grab the horse's reins before vanishing. This, although terrifying the animals, seems not to have perturbed the man unduly. However, he ordered that the stone in question be laid upon his grave after his death, in an attempt at 'laying' the apparition. James Reynolds died in 1941 and, in accordance with his wishes, the boulder now lies atop his grave, his wife Ann Elizabeth also being interred there in 1967. There is no record as to whether or not the 'exorcism' was successful, and indeed, a local woman who knew the Reynolds could not confirm the story. The other stone of the pair can now be seen lying against the north wall of the churchyard.
The church open for visitors during daylight hours.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
To view the church micro stats page, please click here
You are looking for a 2ml vial. There is only enough room for a log so please bring your own pen or pencil. Tweezers may be necessary to extract the log. Please replace exactly as found and ensure the cache is secure.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
pbeare
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures