Gretton Tower, or more properly "The Tower" is formally known as St Philip's Chapel of Ease. It is a hidden gem, tucked away just off the main road through the village, surrounded by beautiful thatched cottages.
This cache is placed with the kind permission of the Gretton Tower Trust.
This Place of Worship was founded in the 11th century and believed to be of Saxon origin, although the site is adjacent to an ancient stone well, suggesting even earlier pagan origins.
The Chapel of Ease was extended in the mid 15th century with the addition of a tower paid for by Ralph Boteler, Lord Sudeley. Gretton Tower appears at first glance to be all that remains now of the original church, and is a Grade II listed building. However the low stone wall and enclosed grassed area which mark out the footprint of the former nave, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The bell that hung within the tower was inscribed ‘Ave Maria Gracia Plena Dominus Tecum’ ( translated as "Hail Mary, Full Of Grace, The Lord Is With Thee" ) and is thought to have been struck in about 1400. Several of the letters are reversed or upside down perhaps implying a certain ignorance or carelessness on the part of the moulder.
A recent discovery, whilst excavating a driveway in the grounds of a modern house opposite the tower, was a small circular pit and charred stonework thought to be the casting pit for the bell.
The bell was eventually transferred to the new church when that was erected during the Victorian era as a line of continuity between the old and the new.
Several other dwellings (now listed) were also built at this time implying a period of relative prosperity. At some point a tunnel was ( allegedly !) built between the Chapel of Ease and Abbotswyck, (one of the oldest houses in the village ) but this has yet to be explained.
In 1779 John Wesley was expected to preach at the Chapel of Ease. The local vicar at the time had second thoughts about allowing such a prominent but controversial figure to speak within the church itself. At the last minute he changed his mind and John Wesley was forced to speak to the gathering in a local orchard instead.
The arrival of Mrs Emma Dent at Sudeley castle in 1856 brought about influential changes in Gretton. Her philanthropic approach gave rise to the establishment of a school in 1862 and the building of a new church at the western edge of the village in 1868, after which the Chapel of Ease fell into disuse.
Gretton Tower is Grade II Listed, and the British Listed Buildings website emphasises that all that's left now is the tower, which it dates as 15th or 16th century.
It describes it as "Tower, formerly at west end of church, now demolished. C15 or C16. Large squared and dressed limestone blocks, pyramidal stone slate roof. Two-storey, square with moulded drip to south east and west at half height, 3-light hollow chamfer mullioned and transomed window of C16 with 4-centred head, west side and simple chamfered opening to east, on heavy respond caps. Slit windows north, west, south in upper stage. Diagonal buttresses south-west and north-west. This is all that remains of the church which was probably at the centre of the original development of Gretton as a village."
Grade: II
Date Listed: 4 July 1960
English Heritage Building ID: 134097
Officially Gretton Tower is now a curious combination of a Grade II Listed Building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. The Tower itself is Grade II Listed yet the low stone wall and enclosed grassed area which mark out the footprint of the former nave, is the Scheduled Ancient Monument.
To claim this virtual cache
Stand inside the tower, and look up at the underside of the beams directly above the main window opening. One of the beams has a row of small holes in it. How many of these holes still have a wooden peg or dowel in them? Please message me the answer to this question.
I would also love to see any photos you take of the tower and its surroundings.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and December 31, 2021. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html