Once you begin your Quest, head to the first location at N 51° 51.850 W 002° 14.799.
Here you read about a great preacher and pioneer of American Evangelism. Also, make a note of the date the school was established as this is A.
Near ‘The Cross’, is Bakers the Jewellers. Above the shop is a wonderful old striking clock with figures. It has 5 striking Jacks representing England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales together with Old Father Time.
'The Cross' is an intersection of four roads, North, South, East and West Gate streets, each of which had a gated entrance to the Roman City of Glevum.
The next location celebrates Gloucesters more recent aviation history and is located at N 51° 51.958 W 002° 14.687.
The Gloster Aircraft Company invented and produced a famous lineage of fighters for the Royal Air Force; the Grebe, Gladiator, Meteor & Javelin. It also produced the Hurricane & Typhoon for Hawker Siddeley.
Gloucester’s test runway became famous for the first flight of Sir Frank Whittle's turbojet aircraft the E.28/39 and later the company produced the first British jet fighter - the Meteor. What is the year inscribed on the podium? This is B.
You will now cross ‘Kings Square’ heading for N 51° 51.930 W 002° 14.536. This open space is soon to be re-developed after a series of planning mishaps over the years - there were fountains and water pools here in the 1980’s.
On the far side of the square is the REGAL. Construction of The Regal was started in 1940 but due to the Second World War it didn’t open until 1956, it has been a theatre, concert hall, cinema and pub.
On March 18th 1963 the Beatles performed at the Regal, a few days later they would achieve their first number one record.
How many direction arrows are on the signpost? This is C.
Now go through 'Kings Walk' to your next location at N 51° 51.853 W 002° 14.626 where you will discover some of the Roman City of ‘Glevum’. What year was the interior of the tower built? This is D.
Moving on to N 51° 51.999 W 002° 14.807 and you will find a quaint little shop. Outside the shop, is a plaque that is held in place by how many nuts? This number is E.
The next short walk heading for N 51° 52.059 W 002° 14.881, takes you past Gloucester’s greatest monument, please take time to look inside and around.
Apart from the obvious and well signposted history, some might recognise parts of this building as the setting for some of Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter films.
Also at this place, John Stafford Smith wrote the tune of the American National Anthem (Star Spangled Banner), during the Three Choirs Festival of 1790. In memory of this, a stars and stripes flag hangs inside this building.
When you arrive at the coordinates, find out which year the Gloucester Hussars were fighting in Sinai and this gives you F.
The next location is through St Mary’s gate and past the place where Bishop John Hooper the English churchman, Bishop of Gloucester and Marian martyr was burnt at the stake in 1555.
In which year was the ruin at N 51° 52.180 W 002° 14.900 damaged in the seige of Gloucester? This gives you G.
The Seige of Gloucester lasted around a month and it’s said that 1500 Parliamentarian defenders repelled the 35,000 strong Royalist Army. The constant battering of the Royalist cannon against the walls of the City had little effect - one pig was killed which the soldiers ate and ‘afterwards well jeered the enemy therewith’. The resolution of the defenders inspired Parliamentary supporters across the land.
After all this Questing, why not quench your thirst and have a bite to eat at N 51° 52.024 W 002° 14.973. This place is named after another famous Gloucester person and their pet.
This man was to become the greatest merchant in medieval England. He supplied silks from Peking for the wedding dresses of the daughters of King Henry 4th and also lent money to the king. He became mayor of London four times, and just like the rhyme says married Alice, the boss’s daughter.
Opposite this place, if you look up, you will see a stone engraving with the date a long gone inn was built, this is H.
Continuing the Quest takes you to N 51° 51.866 W 002° 14.924, which year was this place founded? That's I.
Onwards to another fascinating location with an interesting history, please take time to look around as you get to N 51° 51.668 W 002° 15.137, what is the first date inscribed on the small brass plaque? that’s J.
Close to this location is an engine manufactured by Fielding & Platt. This company had a large factory on the site of the new shopping area and employed over 1000 Gloucester people (including my Father who did more than 20 years service).
Fielding & Platt had a reputation for engineering quality and robust metal products that lasted for generations. Amongst other innovations, they produced the first vacuum cleaners in Britain.
Gloucester born engineer, Hubert Cecil Booth patented a motorized vacuum cleaner in 1901. Booth's machine took the form of a large, horse-drawn, petrol-driven unit, which was parked outside the building to be cleaned, with long hoses being fed through the windows. It was the first machine to ‘suck’ rather than ‘blow’ the dirt away.
Your next location is over the bridge at N 51° 51.785 W 002° 15.238, from which year has water been pumped into the canal? This is K and you are nearing the end of your Quest!
In order to work out the cache location and complete your Quest, you need to reduce all the individual answers to one number. Do this by adding the numbers together, then adding the result together until you finish with a single number.
One or more answers are already a single number.
Example: 1999 = 1+9+9+9 = 28 = 2+8 = 10 = 1+0 = 1.
The check sum is 66 or 3 if you apply the formula (6+6 = 12 = 1+2 = 3)
Work it out and go to: 51 (J+I-A)(D-K).(K+C-G)B(E-G) 002 (F-C)(E-B).HA(J+F-D-G)
If you want to check your coordinates, please use the above link, it's easy and FREE!
The cache is a smallish plastic box ideal for bugs, coins and small swops, please take care hiding it as it close to a footpath and could easily be seen.
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I’m pleased that nature has accepted my cache but if any of you Quester’s have an ANT phobia (Myrmecophobia), I wouldn’t want you to miss out after completing the Quest. Therefore, if you email me a photo of the cache location, you can claim a find.
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Gloucester has it's challenges like any other City and I would advise caution if you visit the final location in the dark.
All the other locations are safe at any time and would make a very pleasant evening or day time stroll with many shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs along the way.
Your return to the suggested parking from the cache (or any other location), should be obvious, which makes the whole Quest an easy 2.5 mile circular walk.
Happy Questing …..