At the time of the Domesday Book Kingstone had about 50 inhabitants. By the time of the first census in 1801 the population had risen to 372 and by 1851 had peaked at 510. In 1901 it had fallen to 347 and before the War in 1931 was down to 292 as agriculture mechanised. In 1951 the population had risen dramatically to 1,161 and in the last census 1,331 lived in the Group Parish.
During the War the construction of the nearby Madley Airfield (with a large amount of the site and buildings within the Kingstone boundary) increased the local population. Following the War many stayed, being housed in converted military buildings. This huge increase in population dramatically altered the character of the Village. Kingstone is now a commuter community with the large majority travelling to work outside the village. Less than 7% are now employed in agricultural work.
The Church of St. Michael & All Angels is dedicated to the Saint of high places and stands on a gentle elevated site to the north east of the village. It is a comfortable and welcoming building, which has evolved over a period of some 250 years from the early 12th Century until its final additions in the mid 14th Century. It was restored in 1890 when it lost its tower pinnacles and box pews. There is a sundial on the wall to the right of the main door that many visitors miss and on Wednesday evenings the village enjoys the musical talents of the local campanologists.
Hunting for information about my local church proved pretty fruitless until the priceless quote from Nicholas Pevsner in his Buildings of Herefordshire describes it as “an interesting church” – make your own mind up!
Parking at the Church is virtually non-existent so I recommend the given Parking Waypoint at the Village Hall to ensure the natives remain friendly. The Church is a short walk away on a level road and footpath.
The cache co-ordinates will lead you to a bench placed close to the Church that is dedicated to the memory of Reg Powell. Note the 8 numbers and substitute these for the letters ABCD EFGH in the following formula:
N52 01. (F+G) (E+A) (H+E) W002 50. (H) (B-C) (D-B)
The final cache is placed just over 0.1 miles away due to the proximity of existing geocaches.
You will need to bring your own writing implement and use stealth to avoid observation of the locals.
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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
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