Church Micro 12238 . . . Upper Clapton
The cache, a special nano, is hidden near this impressive church which has a fascinating history. It was formerly the Agapemonite Church of the Ark of the Covenant, then after the last of the Agapemonites (see also here) died became the Ancient Catholic Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd (1956-2007). After being sold in 2005, it finally became the Georgian Orthodox Cathedral Church of the Nativity of Our Lord in 2011.
Go to the given coordinates where you will be stood on the pavement by the church entrance gates. Look at the words inscribed on the arch over the church doors.
The number of words on this inscription = A
The total number of huge stone winged statues to the left and right above the front door = B
The alphanumeric value of the 2nd letter of the name of the huge winged creature above the door to the left = C
The number of small arches above the door and below the window = D
The number of square pillars along the front wall of the churchyard (ie. not including the gate pillars - which are not square) = E
The number of letters in the name of the large animal shown in the crest on the gold-coloured sign to the right of the front gates = F
The cache is hidden at:
N 51 34.(D-B)(A+1)(C-A) W 0 04.(E-C)(F-4)D
Abode of Love
A November 2016 Telegraph article 'Battle over sale of Victorian sex cult church' states:
'A London church built by a Victorian sex cult is at the centre of a legal battle over who should receive the proceeds from its sale. The £1 million grade II* listed building was erected by a sect called the Abode of Love [or Agapemonites], which was founded by a defrocked priest alleged to have had sex with a virgin on a billiard table in front of his followers.
Henry James Prince started the cult in Somerset in 1846 using donations from wealthy, unmarried women after being expelled from the Anglican church.
As the group gained popularity they built other churches around 
the country, including [this church] the Ark of the Covenant in Clapton, north London.
When Prince died in 1899, he was succeeded by John Hugh Smyth-Piggott, another defrocked priest who gave racy sermons and told his followers that he was the second coming of Christ. He was reportedly chased from London by an angry mob after a failed attempt to walk on water at a pond on Clapton Common.
Smyth-Piggott retreated to Spaxton, Somerset, and continued preaching to a small group of loyal followers until his death in 1927. He had three children, named Life, Glory and Power, who later changed their names to Lavita, David and Patrick.
The Abode of Love declined in popularity over the following decades, with the last member dying in 1958.
Kate Barlow, one Smyth-Piggott's granddaughters, wrote a 2006 book about her experiences growing up within the cult, which was alleged to have indulged in orgies and married "heavenly bridegrooms" to "soul brides".
The Clapton church, which features life-size sculptures of a man, a bull, a lion and an eagle and stained glass windows designed by prominent Victorian illustrator Walter Crane, was left derelict for years. It was eventually sold in 2010 and turned into a Georgian Orthodox cathedral.
The 1892 deed stated that any funds from the sale should be used to promote the objectives of the sect. But since the group no longer exists, Smyth-Piggott's granddaughters have claimed that because he was the last surviving member of the original trustees, they are entitled to the proceeds.
A statement to the court reads: "All the community members are now long since deceased and gone. The 
six named are the direct descendants of Beloved and his 'soul bride' ... and are therefore the rightful and only true beneficiaries of the trust."
Judgment in the case has been reserved.'
See also: here for a fascinating local council account recalling 10/1/1899 death of the 'Son of God' and details of cult activities, here for a short video* produced by a theatre group who performed a play on Prince and his cult, and . . . 'When God was an Englishman - the Agapemonites' for an entertaining blog page.
* . . . 'and so it came to pass that on January 10th 1981, exactly 82 years after the death of the Son of God in Spaxton, the Bridgwater based Sheep Worrying Theatre Group put on the banned play. Scripted by Charles Mander with music by Brian Smedley, the play featured present day horror writer Kim Newman as Prince, 16 year old Lucy Knowles as Zoe Patterson, a large cast and a capacity audience with people being turned away at the door.'
Church History & Some Key Features
Between 1892-1895 the Agapemonites built the Church of the Ark of the Covenant here. It was designed by Joseph Morris in an 'eclectically ornamental Gothic style'. The west tower, tall slender spire and stone sculptures, all in Portland stone were by Arthur George Walker. Although it is fairly conventional in floor plan, the outside of the church is a riot of statuary and symbolism.
The main doorways sport large carvings of angels and the four evangelists symbolised by a man, an eagle, a bull and a lion. The same four figures, cast in bronze, look out over the four quarters of the Earth from the base of the steeple.
The two flanking weather vanes show a certain symbolic debt to William Blake's Jerusalem depicting, as they do, a fiery chariot and a sheaf of arrows (presumably of desire), while the main steeple is clearly surmounted by a spear.
The 1896 stained glass windows were designed by noted children's book illustrator Walter Crane (see also here) and made by John Silvester Sparrow. Some betray the unconventional nature of the sect as they illustrate the 'true station of womankind'. They are considered to be some of the finest examples of Victorian strained glass.
The corner turrets of the church tower are each inscribed with the words "GOD IS LOVE," and are topped 
with the traditional bronze symbols of the evangelists: the two seen above are St Matthew as a winged man, and St Mark as a winged lion. On the other angles can be seen St Luke as a winged ox and St John as an eagle. There are also two roundels above the west window, with reliefs of the chariot of Elijah and the scroll of Enoch. Similar roundels can be seen over the chancel arch inside the church.
See here and here for more information here for a short video on the establishment of the Goergian Orthodox church with some shots of the decorative interior, of which photos may also be seen here.
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