Church Micro 13557 . . . Denton - St Helen
The cache, a 35mm film pot, is hidden some 200m away from this impressive chapel in the hamlet of Denton. At the time of placing the cache, it was closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, so I was unable to enter to admire the fine interior - especially the notable stained glass windows.
Parking is available, carefully tucked in to the edge of the road opposite the church or a little further away in the hamlet.
Step 1: Enter the churchyard through the wooden lych gate, ascend the steps and head around the rear corner to N 53 56.176 W 1 46.858 where attached to the north wall is an ancient, broken and well-weathered headstone to the memory of Charles Clapham who passed away in 170A.
Step 2: From the same position look left (east) and note the smaller headstone for Thomas Bolton attached to the wall. On the lower sides of this are two decorative 'wheels' with B 'spokes' in each.
Step 3: Continue across the rear of the church and on to N 53 56.171 W 1 46.831 near a small mini-fenced section on the northern edge of the graveyard with 5 small headstones dedicated to a total of 7 members and relatives of the Green family. How many of these were still called Green at the time of their passing (= C)
Step 4: Move south and down to N 53 56.162 W 1 46.827 where you will see steps leading down to a small gate accessing the road which has D vertical black metal rods in its upper half.
Step 5: Head down to the eastern end of the graveyard where @ N 53 56.155 W 1 46.823 you will find a low cross commemorating Noel G Bailey 1899-1983 who received an award.
E = the alphanumeric (A=1 B=2 C=3 etc) value of the 1st letter of this award minus the sum of the values of the other two letters.
Step 6: Now head back west to the shade of a huge old yew tree where N 53 56.161 W 1 46.837 is the location of a badly weathered headstone with many words missing or illegible. However, on its right-hand side, you will clearly see two rhyming 4-letter words, one about a third of the way up and the other directly below it. The alphanumeric value of the 2nd letter of each of these words = F
Step 7: Finally, make your way up to N 53 56.168 W 1 46.844 where there is a metal bench on the south side of the church which was donated to the church by the Vavasour Society (what is this?) to commemorate a special event which occurred in 199G.
The cache is hidden at:
N 53 56.(F-D)CA W 1 46.E(B-1)(G-2)
The Church of St Helen is one of two churches in the parish of Weston with Denton in the Wharfe Valley, North Yorkshire. It is one of the six Washburn Valley and Mid-Wharfe Benefice Anglican churches.
It occupies an elevated position in parkland, set in an expansive and well- planted churchyard. It dates back to at least the 14th Century and was originally a Chapel of Ease in the then extensive Parish of Otley. Thomas Fairfax, the creator of the New Model Army, was born and baptised at Denton.
The elegant new Church designed by John Carr was built in Georgian style in 1776 as a private chapel for the Ibbetson family of Denton Hall. It is Grade 2 listed and, though not consecrated, is licensed for public worship.
It continued to function as a chapel of ease up until its gift by the Ibbetsons in 1867 to the then diocese of Ripon, when it then became the place of worship for the newly created ecclesiastical parish of Denton.
Of particular note is the superb, colourful and painterly east window or main centre light, known as the Musicians' Window which contains the only surviving picture window by the York glass painter Henry Gyles (1645–1709). It is signed and dated: ‘Henry Giles Eborac. Pinxit 1700’ and was moved from the Hall when the chapel was built.
In the lower half the painting shows King David playing his harp, surrounded by angels, two of whom hold musical scores. The upper part shows cherubim in the heavens around the sacred name, in Hebrew.
Below is St Cecilia playing an organ surrounded by angels accompanying her on lute, cornetto, violin, cello and trombone, while others hold up music books for the players.
Though executed mainly in silver stain and enamels Gyles has also used purple, blue and red pot metal
glass (see here) for the larger draperies.
The antiquarian Ralph Thoresby described it as ‘the noblest painted glass window in the North of England’. Clearly, the chapel was intended to meet the aesthetic as well as the spiritual needs of its users.
The flanking lights contain heraldic emblems and coats of arms.
Another glass is by William Peckitt, a leading Georgian glass painter and stained glass maker based in York, who did much to revive the medieval art of stained glass making and 'keep it alive during the 18th century'.
There are also some examples from the famous Whitefriars Glass workshop, English makers of stained glass since 1680, when a small glassworks was established off Fleet Street in London. Armorial detail and fine inscriptions are also of interest.
A grave stone (the oldest in the graveyard?) fastened to the outside of the north wall of the porch has the remains of an inscription commemorating Frances, wife of Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron who died in 1683.
See here for the church's Historic England Grade-II listing.
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself, please go to
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
