Geocache Description:
Welcome to another addition to the popular church micro series. This one will bring you to St Anthony’s in Cartmel Fell. This is a simple multi with the final location only a few minutes’ walk away. There is another longstanding traditional cache for this church very close by.
St Anthony’s. Cartmel Fell
You don’t have to go into the church to find the geocache but you will be missing a treat if you don’t. It is usually open during day light hours and the vicar would be delighted if you have a look round and sign the visitor’s book.
This Grade 1 listed building was built as a Chapel of Ease in 1504 to save the scattered fellside community from having to walk 7 miles to Cartmel Priory, and was initially served by one of the monks. Later it became a parish church in its own right, and the priest doubled as the schoolmaster, teaching in the church.
Inside are two wonderful old enclosed wooden family pews dating back to the 1500s, belonging to the principal landowners who endowed the chapel. The pew on the north side of the aisle belonged to wool merchants, the Briggs of Cowmire Hall, was likely used as the school room. On the benches inside can be seen series of subdivided squares deeply carved into the oak.
There are many historic, beautiful and interesting things to see. 16C windows including one of St Anthony himself, the patron saint of swineherds with his companion a wild boar. The 1698 pulpit. A beautiful window of a dove in the bell tower where an old door has been blocked up. The door was found in the early 20C when piles of dirt were dug away from the outside of the tower. You can see from the outside the door was very low.
Go inside, have a look round, admire this ancient church, read the information sheets and don’t forget to sign the visitor’s book.
The coordinates will take you to the new sundial. The old sundial is nearby with a post sticking out of a mounting block and is Grade 2 listed.
The cache is a click lock box just a short walk away and can be found at
N 54 17.00A W 002 53. (A+D) D (BxC)
Where
A= the number of screws holding the sundial onto the stone post
B - the number of dragons on the sundial
C = the number of letters in the first word on the dial
D = the number of letters in the second word
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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