GC172AN Around The Lawn (Multi-cache) in Southern England, United Kingdom created by RoobyDoo

This cache has been archived.

RoobyDoo: First opportunity in a week to get out with Sheba, and to check on this cache. Unfortunately it has been muggled.
Since the cache has had a good innings, and been visited by lots of cachers, I've decided to archive this one.

GC172AN ▼

A cache by RoobyDoo Message this owner

Hidden : 10/30/2007

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Don’t be fooled by this cache! Although it is in Swindon and surrounded by conurbations, The Lawn is a beautiful large park which defies its location.

'The Lawn' originally had a natural spring that flowed from the top of the hill. This made the site perfect for settlement, and Stone Age, Bronze Age, Saxon and Roman remains have been found. The early 15th Century manor house was replaced with a fine mansion by the Goddard family in the 18th Century. During this period the whole parkland was landscaped and the ice house and gazebo, Italian sunken garden and the ornamental lakes were built. The Goddards changed the name of the site from 'Swindon House' to 'The Lawn' in 1830.
The death of Fitzroy Goddard in 1927 marked the end of 369-year occupation by the family. By 1934 the staff had all left and the mansion was left unoccupied until the war office requisitioned it for the accommodation of American troops. In 1946 Swindon Corporation purchased the site for £18,000. The house had deteriorated after the war so much that it was declared unsafe and was demolished in 1952. Today a raised grass rectangle marks the site of the old manor house, and the remains of the Italian sunken garden beside it.

Holy Rood, in The Lawn behind the Market Square in Old Town, was the Parish Church of Swindon from 1154 to 1852. The greater part of the building was pulled down in 1852 after the building of Christ Church but there are walls still standing which are over 700 years old.
Today the remains of the church stand isolated in the parkland, however there was also once a water mill that had a large 30 ft diameter wheel.
All that stands today is the chancel together with several ruined pillars and arches of the former nave. The doorway of the chancel is made from an old arch saved from the part pulled down in 1852.
Unfortunately, due to vandalism on the site, Holy Rood is generally only open to the public on special occasions such as during the Old Town Festival and at the Heritage weekend in September.

Although there are many places around the park that you could park, the suggested parking is at the above co-ordinates, which is a good starting point.
There are paths throughout the park, which makes this suitable for buggies and bikes alike. Don’t forget to bring bread for the ducks, and see how many squirrels you can spot. Sheba lost count!
Stealth may be required to retrieve the cache, as this is a very popular park!
I've said it will take you less than an hour, but if you stop to feed the ducks, or have a pint at one of Old Towns pubs, it might take you longer!
Difficulty is set accordingly due to tree cover.

Waypoint 1: N51 33.020 W001 46.008
How many man hole drains are there? A

Waypoint 2: N51 33.139 W001 46.119
How many steps are there? B

Waypoint 3: N51 33.096 W001 46.250
The next three numbers after EN124 B? CDE

Waypoint 4: N51 33.116 W001 46.427
What number is the Goddard Association? F

Waypoint 5: N51 33.302 W001 46.377
How many letters has the last word in the inscription
Beginning “Sweetest of all things” G

Cache:

N51 3(A+C).(B-E)(A+G)(F-C) W001 (F-E)(AxG).(B-E)(A+D)(G-A)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

va n gerr pnzbhsyntrq ol vil

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)