St Michael's Church is situated within a roughly circular churchyard, in Golden Grove Park, some 900m east-south-east of Golden Grove Mansion. The present church building is by no means the first to be built on the site as the shape of the churchyard may indicate religious use since very early times. A church pre-dating the current one was built on the site c.1617 by Sir John Vaughan, whose family plaque can be seen inside the present building. The porch of the present church was part of the original Vaghan church and is listed. The lychgate with its unusual tiles is also listed.
The church you see today was built around 1850, to the designs of Sir George Gilbert Scott, in the same location and on the same site as its predecessor. It is constructed of squared and coursed Old Red Sandstone rubble, and consists of three-bayed nave, two-bayed chancel, north transept, north porch, vestry and bellcote/turret. In the later twentieth century a boiler was installedin the vestry. Its below-ground oil tank is located between the vestry and the chancel north wall. Openings are all neo-gothic, with dressings in sandstone and grey oolite. There are external buttresses at the east and west ends. The present bellcote/turret is a faithful copy of the original. It is louvred throughout, and has a fish-scale slated spire, supported on internal timbers. There is a disused chimney in the north transept gable end.
The building adjacent to the church used to be the school room but is now used as a church hall at one end and a private house at the other.
Golden Grove also has the claim to fame in relation to Bishop Jeremy Taylor. He was born in Cambridge probably in 1613, in which year he was baptised. Having graduated at the University of Cambridge, he became Rector of Uppingham in 1638. During the Civil War he took the King's side and was expelled from his rectory, a "preacher" being put in his place. He was prisoner of the Parliament in 1645, and afterwards found refuge with the Earl of Carbery at Golden Grove, where, with two friends, he conducted a school.
The co-ordinates, although a little jumpy, will bring you to within sight of a momument which literally 'points' to within 5 paces of the cache location. Please decrypt the clue if you want a little more help finding it. The cache is a small clip box container with enough room for swaps. It has a dark covering and is well camouflaged. To start with I have added some goodies and a travel tag with a mission!
NOTE: IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO SEARCH AMONGST THE GRAVESTONES - THE CACHE IS NOT THERE.
There is plenty of parking outside the church itself, use this as a base for the other caches the Youth Church hope to plant in and around the village.
The church members of Golden Grove are delighted to welcome you to visit and experience the peace and tranquility of this location. However, please do not allow your geodogs to foul the churchyard so other people's enjoyment is not spoiled. The churchwardens hope to open the church to visitors shortly but in the meanwhile the key is available from the curate (contact details in the porch) should anyone wish to see inside. This cache is placed by pylongirl with the help of God's Hi-Five Youth Church with full the knowledge and permission of the vicar and BCC.
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html
Access to the geocahe is wheelchair friendly but those with limited mobility may need help retreiving the cache.
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