The church of St. Margaret and St. James lies half a mile outside the village of Long Marton in the Eden Valley, and is a Grade I Listed building.
Originating before the Norman conquest, the church contains Anglo-Saxon and Norman architectural features. The tower was added probably in the early 12th century, and the chancel was extended later that century. A south chapel was added in the 15th century, and the vestry in the following century. The church was restored by John A. Cory in 1880.
Architecture
The church is constructed in stone with large quoins and slate roofs. Its plan consists of a nave with a south porch, a south chapel (or transept), a chancel with a north vestry, and a west tower. Parts of the nave walls are Saxon, other parts of the nave and the blocked north doorway are Norman, and the chancel is in Decorated style. The tower is in three stages, with paired bell openings. The windows around the church are in varying styles, most of them being mullioned. Three of the doorways have tympana containing carvings of dragons and other items. Inside the chancel are a double sedilia and a piscina ( more simply, a double seat for the priest and the deacon, whilst the piscina is the holy water font). Most of the furnishings are from Cory's restoration in the 19th Century. A window has been inserted into the blocked north doorway, which was originally used by the prest to enter the church; this window contains stained glass dated 1930 by Stanley M. Scott, depicting Saints Margaret and James flanked by Saints Cosmas and Damian. In the south transept is a window of 1925 to the memory of the architect George Dominic Stampa.
The cache itself is placed outside the church, by a small parking place, and is best approached on two wheels. You don't need to enter the churchyard to retrieve the cache or disturb any walls, but I would highly recommend a visit to the church and yard
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