St Michael the Archangel, Parish Church, in Dundry.
The church is currently not in use due to its unstable roof and work is underway to raise £250,000 to repair it.
Good views can be seen from the church yard and the church is visible from many parts of Bristol
Anciently Dundry was part of the manor of Chew Magna and the modern ecclesiastical parish of Dundry was only carved out of the parish of Chew Magna in the nineteenth century.
The Parish Church is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel. Dundry was first a chapel of St Andrew's Church, Chew Magna. The first burial in Dundry was in 1559. In 1745 Dundry became a parish in its own right and in 1855 came the official separation of Dundry from Chew Magna Church.
The two parishes became the joint benefice of St Andrew's Chew Magna and St Michael's Dundry in 1977.
The striking and beautiful tower, ninety seven and a half feet in height, ranks amongst the best examples of the type for which Somerset is famous and was erected in 1482 in the reign of Edward IV. It is so placed that it can be seen from almost every part of Bristol and is a natural landmark for ships out in the Bristol Channel. The Merchant Venturers of Bristol are said to have donated money towards its building. Probably, at that time, the Venturers were not sufficiently organised as a body to do this corporately but the story does reflect some of the truth, that the tower was put up both to the glory of God and as a guide to navigators. Records show that the tower originally had a lantern containing a light which acted as a beacon for ships.
Built in the Perpendicular style of local Dundry stone it is surrounded by a parapet which is quite independent of the buttresses on top of the tower and sits rather like a crown on a head, pierced with arcading. Late Gothic is here to be seen at its most fantastic, with pinnacles that are quite transparent, carrying their own buttresses and flying buttresses, pierced battlements and spirelets.
The tower was completely renovated in 1987 following very successful fund raising, with over £110,000 being raised in a little over six weeks. This renovation was completed and a service of thanksgiving held at Easter with Bishop George Carey officiating (now Archbishop of Canterbury). Within a matter of weeks a severe storm hit the village and the top of the tower was extensively damaged. Fortunately this was covered by insurance so repairs and modifications were once again necessary.
There are six bells dating from 1642, 1750 (2), 1765, 1796 and 1840, five of them carrying the names of the churchwardens in office when they were cast. These were lowered and hung on a steel frame during the major tower refurbishment, with the names of the current churchwardens being inscribed on one bell which had to be re-cast.
The Church clock was installed on the south wall of the Tower in August 1999 as one of the Millennium celebrations of the village. It was installed by David Jones, Clockmaker, of Helston in Cornwall and was funded entirely by a grant from the Yansec Trust.
Very little remains of the church building of the middle ages apart from the tower, since the body of the church was so heavily restored by GB Gabriel in 1861 as to amount in practice to a rebuilding. A gallery at the west end was then removed. Portions of the former church which probably dated from the 13th century have been incorporated in the present building. These include the round pillars separating the side aisles from the nave, the south doorway, the west doorway which is richly moulded, the drip-stone of which ends in effigies of a king and queen, some portions of the north windows and the stone font. A mutilated stone figure displayed on the south wall is reputed to be that of St. Giles. The stained glass dates from the 1860's.
A handsome tower screen was erected in 1972 to a design by John Bracey ARIBA, who lived at East Dundry at the time.
Outside in the churchyard there is an octagonal village cross, a traditional site for meetings and sermons, probably of the same date as the tower. A massive slab of Dundry stone, known locally as the 'dole-stone' is said to weigh ten and a half tons. Originally lying near the village cross it was used as a table for alms given to the poor, particularly on New Year's Day. A memorial, also in local stone pays tribute to villagers who lost their lives in two world wars.
It is this memorial stone that you need to look at to solve the multi.
~How many people died in the second world war - A
~How many people died in the first world war with a surname beginning with B = B
~How many people died in the first world war with a surname beginning with C & G = C
~When was it erected (look at the back) 19 D E
To find the cache N 51 24. E C (A+D) W 002 38. (B+C) B C
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