For a longer walk, we suggest parking on Plough Lane in the hamlet
of Hazeley Lea at
N 51 19.780
W 0 55.850
This gives a 0.75 mile walk to the cache. The footpath crosses
in front of a gatehouse which has a lovely view down the drive to
Bramshill House. A shorter walk can be made from limited parking on
the verge in Police College Drive (off the B3011)
There has been gorse & tree clearance at GZ and stumps /
rough terrain will now slow down your approach to GZ.
Reference to Bramshill can be traced back to Saxon times. In
1605, Edward Lord Zouche of Harringworth became lord of the manor
and built the present house which is one of the finest examples of
early Jacobean architecture in England. The house was completed in
1612 and in 1699, it passed to Sir John Cope.
Bramshill House is thought to be the one of the most haunted
houses in Hampshire. The Legend of the Mistletoe Bough is thought
to refer to a young member of Sir Cope's family on her wedding
day.
The story goes that the bride suggested a game of hide and seek
and found an old chest and hid inside. Nobody could find her and
once it went quiet, she decided to get out of the chest, assuming
the others had abandoned the game. The lid wouldn't move and
although she shouted and screamed, nobody came. Eventually there
was no air left in the chest and she suffocated. Her ghost is said
to wander through the house hoping to find someone who can release
her.
Since 1953 the house has been a police training college, and it
is now impossible for this great house or its grounds to be open to
the public. However, the footpath affords lovely views over the
parkland to the house (currently shrouded with scaffolding).
There are cattle grazing the common at times so please take note
of the signs and keep control of your dogs in this area.