St Peter's Church, Northney
St Peter's is a historic church in a picturesque setting in the village of Northney in the north-east of Hayling Island, located between Portsmouth and the Thorney Island peninsula. Getting to St Peter's can have its moments, especially if you are coming from the mainland. It is not unknown for people to be late for a service due to having to wait for cows to cross the road to be milked.
History
The earliest firm evidence of Christianity on Hayling Island dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, although it is quite possible that the religion was practised on the island in the last century or two of Roman rule. There was a Saxon church dedicated to All Saints, which probably now lies under water following the loss of a sizeable portion of the island to the sea in 1324.
Queen Emma, wife first of Ethelred the Unready and then of Canute, gave the manor of Hayling to the monks of St Swithun at Winchester Cathedral. After the Norman conquest, William the Conqueror granted most of Hayling to the Benedictine Abbey of Jumièges in Normandy, which received its agricultural income. There followed a long period of legal disputes between Jumièges Abbey and the Winchester Monks, who held on to a small part of northern Hayling. At various times over the next few centuries, during times of hostility with France, English monarchs took control of priories owned by French abbeys, including that of Hayling Island.
The Church
Although St Peter's is over a century older than St Mary's Church further South on the island, it was originally built in about 1140 by the monks of Jumièges Abbey not as a parish church but as a chapel of ease, Northwode Chapel, to serve the people of North Hayling for whom going to their parish church of All Saints in the south of the island was not convenient. The original building probably occupied most of what is now the nave, and was apparently built without foundations; the central pillars rested on large sarsen stones (boulders probably deposited by glaciers during the Ice Ages). Buttresses were added later to help support the walls. In the early 13th century the building was expanded to its present dimensions, with the porch being added later. It is believed that St Peter's three bells are one of the oldest peals in England, on suspended wooden axles and half wheels. The tenor bell has been dated by the Whitechapel Foundry as from about 1350.
The church is partially surrounded by a ditch, and has a substantial graveyard. Among those buried there is Princess Yourievsky (1878-1959), a natural daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia who was legitimised by her parents' marriage and who spent the last 27 years of her life on Hayling Island, dying in relative poverty.
The font, like the church, dates back to the 12th century. Near it is an oak chest which is also probably from the same era. There are two carvings of heraldic beasts on the chevron in the nave, of a yale and a griffin: these are thought to be 17th-century.
There are some interesting features on the exterior of the church. On the south wall and south-east buttresses are sundials, used in former times as "mass clocks" to determine the timing of services - one of these is on a blocked-up priest's door to the chancel. On the south-east buttress there is also a carving in the form of a pentagram, often associated with witchcraft, but also in medieval times a symbol of the five wounds Jesus suffered on the Cross.
At the rear of the church is a modern extension, the Ark, which serves as a church hall. It won the Borough of Havant Design Award in 2000 and the Royal Institute of British Architects South Conservation Award in 2002. The RIBA judges said, "The extension lifts the spirit and adds value to the building, fitting within the constraints of a mature churchyard and a very ancient yew tree."
The Cache
Go to stage 1 at the published co-ordinates where you will find a large Bug Hotel. At the lower right are 3 reddish wooden brick-shaped parts with holes drilled in to them.
- How many holes in all 3 parts? = A
Then make your way to stage 2 (S2AMY8Y) where you will find a small brick building. On the grey slate plaque titled 'St. Peter's Churchyard':
- How many letters in the first word of the first line of the poem under the title? = B
- How many letters in the third word of the third line of the poem under the title? = C
Underneath the slate plaque is a notice about regulations. Just for fun (not required for the cache), how many spelling errors can you spot?
- How many bullet points are there in the section labelled 'Important principles'? = D
Now make your way to the front porch of the church at stage 3 (S3AMY8Y).
- How many vertical panels in the front door of the church (the cutout piece around the lock does not count as an extra panel)? = E
- The front door has two large hinges. How many bolts are there in each hinge? = F
- Next to the porch is a bench dedicated to Marjorie. How many letters in her last name? = G
Lastly, go to stage 4 (S4AMY8Y) where you will find a bench dedicated to a 'special Mum and Dad'.
- How many letters in Mum's first name? = H
You can find the cache at N 50 ((B-C)*D).((A*(G+H))+D) W000 ((B*G)+F).(E*2)(C*F)(E+F). The checksum for all 15 digits of the final co-ordinates is 66.
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