Staddle Stones Traditional Cache
Alba15: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
If you wish to email me please send your email via my profile (click on my name) and quote the cache name and number.
Alba15
Volunteer UK Reviewer - geocaching.com
UK Geocaching Information & Resources site http://www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk/resources/
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
An easy cache at an unusual building, near Aldenham. A favourite walk for the two black deefas. Wheelchair friendly. Can be completed as a cache and dash or as part of a circular walk linking 'The Bus To Bethlehem' and 'Fore²'
A BIT OF HISTORY
Wall Hall :
“Wall Hall is a magnificent gothic revival mansion with a castellated façade created in the early 19th century for George Woodford Thelluson, a prosperous City banker mentioned in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
The landscaped grounds reached their prime under John Pierpont Morgan Jnr., an American banker who bought the hall in 1910, where he regularly entertained the Royal family, including the young Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
During World War 2, Wall Hall became the residence of the U.S. Ambassador, Joseph Kennedy and later on was used for educational purposes, eventually becoming the University of Hertfordshire.”
Staddle Stones:
Virtually unchanged in design for many hundreds of years, Staddle Stones were originally used to raise tithe barns and granaries off the ground
This kept the produce from getting damp, and also prevented mice and other vermin from interfering with it, as they couldn't climb past the staddle stone caps.
In Middle English staddle or stadle is stathel, from Old English stathol, a foundation, support or trunk of a tree.
The name itself and evidence from surviving vernacular buildings with wooden 'feet' suggest that at first the staddles or supports were made of wood. Stone staddles were longer lasting and a more reliable means of supporting structures which were sometimes a considerable weight.
The staddle stones usually had a separate head and base. Different areas in the United Kingdom had different designs. The base varied from cylindrical to tapered rectangular to near triangular.
In The Lord of the Rings, Staddle is the name of a village populated primarily by Hobbits. I’m not too sure the present occupiers would wish to be known as hobbits though!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[There is no need to climb any fences or go under the building]
Oruvaq gur arnerfg srapr cbfg.