Brownsea Island’s “Time Warp” church A church micro. The co-ordinates are not for the cache location, but for the place where you will get the information in order to find the cache. Find the memorial tablet for Bob Durell.
He was born on AB.CD.EFGH He died on IJ.K.LMNO
The cache is hidden at: N50.41.G(B-1)(G-1) W001.57.(J+K) (L+K-1) (O-L-6)
Visiting St Mary’s church on Brownsea Island is like stepping back in time. Built in 1853, the church remains very much as it was then – its organ is pumped by hand and the only lighting comes from candles. It appears as if it is untouched by age, but the church’s history isn’t so straightforward. The church’s construction was part of ambitious plans by the Island’s then owner, Colonel Waugh. He wanted to build a community on Brownsea, believing he had unearthed a rich supply of clay, but his prosperity came to nothing. Later, in 1927, Mrs Bonham-Christie was the Island’s owner and had decided to live there, alone, as a recluse. She had bought the Island for £125,000 at auction. She gave everyone on the Island a year’s notice to leave, an act which reduced the Island’s community from 70 to around 6 people. The church, left to nature, became overgrown. In 1962 after Mrs Bonham-Christie’s death, the Island was handed over to the state in lieu of her death duties, before later passing into the care of the National Trust – and the church services were resumed. Today, from May to September, it remains a working church. Both the church and the Island have strong connections with the scouting movement. Charles Van Raaite, the Island’s owner from 1901 to 1907, let Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell hold his first Scout camp on the Island. It ensures the church’s congregation can often be boosted by hundreds of scouts or brownies at a moment’s notice. Thank you to The Head Ranger on Brownsea for giving permission to set this cache.