Tring is in west Hertfordshire, adjacent to the Buckinghamshire border, at a low point in the Chiltern Hills known as the 'Tring Gap'. This has been used as a crossing point since ancient times, being at the junction of the Icknield Way and under the Romans Akeman Street, the major Roman road linking London to Cirencester. It is transected east and west by the ancient earthwork called Grim's Dyke. It is located at the summit level of the Grand Union Canal and both the canal and railway pass through in deep cuttings. Tring railway cutting is 4 km (2.5 mi) long and an average of 12 m (39 ft) deep
Young Crawley’s Guide to Hertfordshire described the Church at Tring as a ‘large and handsome structure, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul; in the Perpendicular style, and built about 1450. It has a noble tower embattled, with a corner turret and a small spire; the body of the Church is of flint, and has an embattled parapet with clerestory windows. It has undergone a thorough renovation; the plaster has been removed from the walls, and the flint and stone facings have been restored where required. There is a fine ornamental porch, and in the tower a ring of six bells. The interior of the Church is imposing. The nave is separated from the aisles by six pointed arches on each side, rising from clustered columns. There is a curious timber roof; the cross beams are supported at each end by carved wood figures, some of them grotesque, and not appropriate to a religious building; a monkey, dog, bear, and a pig, are represented amongst other objects. Very handsome stained-glass windows embellish the east and west ends, and the windows of the north aisles are also of stained-glass. The large windows are divided by mullions; the arch between the nave and chancel is very fine, and there is a beautifully carved reredos over the communion table.' It underwent substantial restoration shortly after this was written but many of the features remain.
Before going to the first stage take some time to look around the church which is open virtually every day. The cache can be found at
N51 47.abc W00 39.def
where at the coordinates,
James Dawe of Town Farm Tring died Jan 31st 18d5 aged st years and Elizabeth his wife died March 1eth 1ed9 aged xy
James Dawe died Sept 16th 188c aged 56, Elizabeth Dawe his wife died December 31st 1b25 aged 89
Percy Henry Dawe who was accidentally drowned on December 2ath 1917 aged 36
f is st minus xy
I have been unable to find out where Town Farm was exactly.
Update Jan 2015, Town Farm was where Home Farm now is and was also known as Dawes Farm. It was rebuilt to House Walter Rothschild when he moved out of Tring Park.
Congratulations to IBsearching for FTF
“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.
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”