There has been a church in Radcliffe since at least the thirteenth century, but the existing building bears little relation to its medieval predecessor. It was neglected in the eighteenth century, which left the ‘spire steeple’ to be left in a precarious condition and eventually it fell in 1792. The repaired church then had a reduced battlemented tower at the west end.
In 1858 money was raised to provide a new chancel in the Early English style, which was designed by Charles Bailey of Newark.
As the population of the village increased, more radical changes came. The chancel of 1858 was retained, but the rest of the church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1879 to the designs of Goddard and Paget of Leicester and still stands today.
Its tall tower is crowned with an unusual saddleback roof. Only one memorial - a brass from 1626 - pre-dates the nineteenth century.
According to G.A. Dawson’s definitive survey of church bells in Nottinghamshire, Radcliffe church had its first bell as early as c1370. By December 1947 there were eight bells, which were hung in a steel and cast iron frame. Structural repairs to the tower in 2001-2 necessitated the lowering of the bells by 5 metres into the former clock chamber.
When the church originally acquired a clock is not clear, but the first known reference is in the will of Robert Hall drawn up on 21 November 1580. The current clock was provided to commemorate a visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to the village in December 1843. Surplus money raised for decorations was supplemented by private subscriptions and the clock, with two dials each of 6 feet in diameter and a pin-wheel escapement, was purchased in April 1844 from William Pearce of Nottingham. The clock was moved into the tower in 1879.
The purchase was a good investment for the clock keeps good time today and can still chime the hours on a tenor bell. When the church tower was repaired in 2001-2, its works were moved up to the bell chamber and the bells lowered to the clock chamber. The opportunity was taken to convert the clock to electric winding.
The churchyard surrounds St Mary’s, but the main part is on the south side. Wills show that burials routinely took place in the churchyard in the sixteenth century - and presumably for centuries before - but the earliest surviving stone is dated 1698. The latest churchyard stone is from 1870. In that year a cemetery off Vicarage Lane was opened, and is still in use today. (Although the churchyard has not been used for burials since that date, Home Office records apparently show no official closure order.) Part of the churchyard has been used for the interment of cremated remains since 1986.
Radcliffe is fortunate in having fine churchyard headstones which have been given a Grade II listing. Many of the earlier stones have inscriptions and designs on slate and are well-preserved.
The War Memorial is sited at the east end of the churchyard. Costing about £660, it was unveiled in April 1921 by Colonel Birkin of Lamcote House, himself an officer who had served in France. The tall cross bears a bronze figure of St George with head bowed in silent grief. Altogether the memorial records the names of fifty-two Radcliffe men killed during the 1914-18 war, nine who died as a result of illness while on active service, and nineteen killed during the Second World War.
With many thanks to the Southwell and Nottingham Church History Project web pages for the above information.
The church sits under the East Bingham Deanery in the Archdeaconry of Nottingham and is one of four churches in the village (including Upper Saxondale).
The cache has been placed with the kind permission of the Church Council. Please respect the Church and its grounds, and do nothing to damage property or litter the area. You do not have to enter the church grounds to find the cache. Be aware that this is a high muggle area, and obviously there will be times when the church is in use and it will be difficult to search! Bring tweezers.
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