A particularly interesting little hidden gem of a church, Garway is one of only six churches in England built by the Knights Templar, and, apart from the Temple in London, has the most substantial remains of a Templar church left in England!
Please DO NOT do this at night due to the close proximity of the neighbouring properties.
I have set this up as a multi Letterbox Hybrid and for a bit of added interest you can get the answers one of two ways - either by information obtained from the outside, or by information obtained from the inside, as the church is often open. I would suggest you do both as they both have interesting features and it won't take long. In fact getting here will be the biggest challenge I suspect!!
The original nave would have been round but sadly there are only traces of this because, after the suppression of the Templars in 1307, in common with most of their property, Garway passed to the Knights of St John (the Hospitallers) in 1326. They replaced the nave with a more conventional rectangular one during the C15. Speculation is that this was due to subsidence.
The most exciting remaining feature is the tower which dates from the 1180 when the Templar church was built to replace what was believed to be a wooden church dating back to as early as 600AD. Many English church towers have been made to look “fortified” by the addition of pseudo-battlements and there are plenty of places where the towers clearly had secondary military functionality, but the tower at Garway was originally separate from the rest of the church and designed for defensive purposes. Indeed, this is unmistakable from its massive dimensions, paucity of window openings especially in the lower stage and the palpable strength of the masonry. Sadly, this tower is no longer open to the casual visitor, although the interior is simple and conceals no exciting architectural features. Henry II granted this site to the Templars. There is nothing unusual in such an endowment, but we might speculate that it suited Henry very well to have an elite military order established so close to the lawless Welsh borders! The local area - known as Archenfield - was a relatively peaceful “buffer state” between the two countries, located in England but with the people Welsh-speaking. The site for the Templar preceptory was probably due to the springs rising from Garway Hilll and providing both drinking water and supplies for the fishponds.
The nave is c13. The font is c14 and features Hospitaller iconography of a serpent - associated with healing - twined around a cross. The chancel arch is Norman and dates to the Templar foundation. It has interesting capitals. The roof was constructed by the Hospitallers in around 1400. There is a c13 arcade that leads to the South Chapel which dates from the Templars but which was substantially reconstructed in c16 after the Hospitallers had relinquished the site during the dissolution of the monasteries. This is a church whose external walls are rich with carved figures and a plethora of informally scratched crosses.
Source: greatenglishchurches.co.uk
As mentioned above I have set this up as a multi Letterbox Hybrid and for a bit of added interest you can get the answers one of two ways - either by information obtained from the outside, or by information obtained from the inside, as the church is often open. I would suggest you do both as they both have interesting features, it won't take long and you can confirm your answers. The cache is a short walk away with great views.
So, do the usual and follow the instructions below to find the info and put the answers into the equation below, but be careful as the letters in the inside method are not in order, out of necessity:
So, from the gate walk down the path to go to the right of the tower to the western door.
Outside method:
Above the door is a window and above that is a carved figure in a stone. If the figure is a sheep A=5, if it is a shield A=4, but if it is a griffin A=3.
Continue round the church and you will see the door into the south chancel which also has a carved figure in a stone above the window that is above it. If this is a sheep with a cross and a flag then B=7, if it is a sheep with a wreath then B=9, but if it is a sheep with lance and a chain then B=0.
How many metal crosses in total on top of the whole church? This is C.
Head round to the south side of the south chancel (ie just to the right of the door), stand back and look at the roof ridge which has ridge tiles with crosses in them. How many crosses are there (crosses, not tiles)? The second number of your total is D.
FOR INTEREST You will see symbols carved in the wall facing you at about torso height, one a cross and the other a swastika, and also round the far, eastern end of the church under the windows there are a few more including a Maltese Cross. But those are just for interest.
Further round on the north side you will see foundation remains of a previous round church and a blocked doorway right behind the foundation remains. There is a plaque on it. What is the second digit for the 'century' line? This is E.
Staying with the plaque, what is the last digit on the date the foundations were exposed? This is F.
Don't move yet! Straight above the blocked doorway there is yet another symbol carved into one of the wall-stones (hadn't seen that had you!) If it is a hand G=0, if it is another sheep G=2, but if it is another cross then G=4.
Right then, that's the first method done, so you could head off and find the cache now if you want but you really should go inside the church via the first door you encountered earlier and have a look, especially as you can check you answers using the clues below.
Inside method:
Head through the door and the first thing you will notice is the pink paintwork, but anyway, look up at the roof in the nave and you will see stars on the ceiling. Count them and take the first digit of the total away from the second digit, twice. This is G.
Keep looking up and you will see there are two dark cross beams in the nave and if you look closely you will see there are some shields with crosses painted them, in red and white. How many in total on both beams? This is E.
Now look to your left and you will see the splendid Hospitaller font, which is in an octagon shape. How many triangles are carved into just ONE side (they are at the top and look more modern)? The number is A.
Still in the nave look up on the left wall and you will see a carving/molding in the centre in the shape of a rounded cross with four heart shapes carved in it. In the centre (in the diamond) how many hands are there? This is C.
Now head across the nave to the splendid zig-zag arch. FOR INTEREST There is a doorway up to the left that goes nowhere which used to be the steps to the now-long-gone rood screen. Also note the carvings at the top-of-the-pillar/base-of-arch junction.
Anyway, stand directly under the zig-zag arch and look above you and you will see rounded carved stone decoration all the way on the underside of the arch. How many (just the complete ones, not the two half ones on top of the pillars). The second digit is your value for D.
Don't move just yet! At your feet you will see the elaborately tiled chancel floor which has a dark red border. How many griffin tiles (or maybe it's a lion) on just one short side? This is B.
And finally head across the chancel and down the steps into the south chancel where you will see a piscina in the wall in the SE corner. In case you are not sure it is basically a hole in the wall with a drain hole at the bottom and small shelf near the top, and it's almost in the shape of the top half of a body. To either side, and above the 'head' you will see some light carvings. The left one is a fish, the top one looks like a cup with wings, but what is the right one? If it looks like a sheep F=6, if it looks like a snake F=7, but if looks like another fish then F=0.
Blimey! All done now! So put your answers into the formula below and stretch your legs with a short walk to the cache.
Cache is at N51 5(C+E).D(F+G)B W002 4F.(A-G)CG and is a small/regular sized tub with a 'GARWAY' stamp that, of course, is NOT swappable! There are some nice views here of the church but also of the splendid dovecote too.
Have fun!
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