The church of St Mary the VIrgin, Elmley Castle, Worcestershire, stands on the northern side of Bredon HIll, close to the castle which gives the village its name. Now no more than a mound, the castle was developed in 11th century by the Beauchamp family, ruinous by the 13th and virtually disappeared by the end of the 17th. The village is attractively situated, containing black and white cottages, some thatched, colourful gardens, a wide main street and an inn reputedly visited by Queen Elizabeth in 1573.
The church itself is of interest particularly for its monuments, one, a set of alabaster figures to the Savage family and another to the 1st Earl of Coventry and Dowager Countess of Coventry - the monument should have been at Croome D'Abitot church where it was taken but the 2nd Earl claimed the Countess, who was his step-mother, was not of good blood and refused it, leaving it to find a home in Elmley Castle
In the churchyard look out for the complex column sundial with its multitude of gnomons (pointy bits for telling the time). Also, just inside the porch, is a stone carving of a hare.
The cache is on a public footpath which runs off from the churchyard past a pond and eventually leads to the top of Bredon HIll with, on the way, probably the best view of the old castle mound. You'll also have the chance to look at some ducks, if that's your thing, and possibly muntjac deer which have been seen near the pond.
There is substantial tree cover at the cache location so your GPS may have a bit of a bad do. You do not need to leave the path to find the cache which is a magnetic nano tube. Tweezers may be required along with a pen. Please replace carefully.
There is plenty of on-road parking in the main street.
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See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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