St Mary's Church, Riverhead
A brief history of the church
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Riverhead was consecrated in 1831 as a Chapel of Ease to Sevenoaks Parish Church. It was built to a design by Decimus Burton on land donated by the Amherst and Lambarde families, and encompasses a large open Nave with no intruding pillars and a Chancel in Early English style added in 1886.
St. Mary’s originally came under the authority of Canterbury but became part of the diocese of Rochester in 1905. This is noted by the engraving of the crests of Rochester and Canterbury on the inner West doors. Lancet windows bearing the shields of significant local dignitaries are to be found on each side of the Nave, and the Chancel and Sanctuary are dominated by a depiction of 'Christ in Majesty'; in the form of an Italian glass mosaic. Above the south porch is the beautiful stained-glass Good Shepherd window paid for by monies (£45!) collected by the children of Riverhead village and installed and dedicated in 1908. Stained-glass windows in the Chancel, the Lady Chapel and at the north-east corner of the Nave are the happy result of many benefactors and the details can be found in a comprehensive guide available in the church. In more recent years they have seen the installation of a magnificent electronic organ, a first-class sound system catering for those who are hard of hearing, and many other items. In 1999 they also saw the building next to the church of a well-equipped church hall with attendant facilities.
To find the final cache you need to take a wander around the Church/Graveyard, collecting some information at each waypoint and then workout the algebra below....
Stage 1... Here you will find a bench in memory of Jonathan Witchell..
A = Last number in latitude
B = Last number in longitude
Stage 2 ...Look for the bench by the path.. Gladys Ryan..
Born 19CD
Died 20DE
Stage 3 ...Look for the two standing memorial stones here in the garden of remembrance...
Patricia Grace Dorbon.. Born 19FG...
Stage 4 ...Looking at the open book headstone/gravestone...
Kathleen Joan Murphy .. The year she died = CHCH
Aged = JC..
The final cache and Log book can be found at .....
N51° (A-G) (E+C+D) . (B-E-D) (F-D-C) (G/C)
E000° (B-F-D) ((J/F)-F) . (A-E) (G+H+D) ((A+B)/F)
Final GZ Co-ords Checksum.... = 32
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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.
To view the church micro stats & information page, please click here
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