St Werburgh, Hanbury

Church History

(from hanburyvillagestaffs.co.uk) The C of E Parish Church of St Werburgh dates from the 13th Century and was extended and restored in the 19th Century. Most of the church is 13th-century work to a 12th-century core with some 15th-century stone facings. Rebuilt north and south aisle extensions date to 1824 and 1869 and the chancel to 1862 by Hine and Evans of Nottingham. Material used consists of coursed and finely dressed sandstone blocks; lead roofs to nave and aisles hidden behind parapets and Welsh slate to chancel with verge parapets. Five 14th century levels form its tower: the top stage was entirely rebuilt to the incumbent's own design in 1883; strings engraved in stone mark off the two upper stages; diagonal buttresses are fixed to three stages; pinnacles and gargoyles at the angles and its parapet is crenellated with a fretted arcade frieze of pointed arches below. Paired bell-chamber openings with two lights and a panel tracery are over similar single windows to the lower stage. Five lights make up the pointed west window in two tiers with four-centred arch doors below. A niche was set in the south side first stage of 1842 containing a statue of St Werburgh, with a pointed door below. A mainly 19th century south aisle has four unequal bays alternately short/long and is divided by three-stage buttresses finished as gabletted pinnacles above the parapet roof; with three light labelled pointed windows with panel tracery to all but one that has two lights; a pointed labelled door is on the building's left. Three bays form the clerestory inset from the ends that has three three-light windows with panel tracery and three centred labelled heads. Altered in 1870 the north aisle is similar to the south. A significantly different style is used in the chancel most noticeable by the steeply-pitched roof and decorated masonry windows; this runs to three bays supported by two-stage buttresses. Two light pointed windows (but a single-light to the south-west corner) are to each of the three bays. Against the inner buttress of the east bay is the Priest door. Five lights (main panes) make up the pointed east window and a vestry is to the north. A painted diagonally boarded roof and painted walls depict religious scenes, all in reasonably subdued colours.

Church Micro Series

Hopefully the caches that we place will encourage other Staffordshire-based CO's to contribute to the world's largest series. If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.

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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.

See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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The Cache

The co-ordinates are for the church car park. The cache is not in the church grounds.

There is a telegraph pole in the corner of the car park with 'DP' followed by 3 numbers ABC

By the church gate is a black lampost showing 'E' followed by a number D

The cache can be found at N 52 50.(A*B)CD W 001 44.(A*B)(B+D)(A+D)