You are looking for a small camouflaged cylindrical container
placed in a spot close to an excellent view toward Newark Priory.
(Please make sure you replace the cache
exactly as found and ensure that the camo-bag is tightly
closed.) This is a beautiful place to be at during the early
hours of the morning, as the sun rises behind the ruins, and the
mist rising from the Bourne and Abbey Stream gives the area an
almost mystical hue.
About Newark Priory
Newark Priory was established in the late 12th Century by Rauld de
Calva and his wife Beatrice de Saudes for Augustian canons. It was
dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Thomas Beckett and was a "novo
loco" - a new place for monks from nearby. The Priory's name
changed over the years to Newstead and then finally Newark.
During King Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries Newark
Priory was dissolved. The prior himself was pensioned off,
valuables sent to the Tower of London and the land given to the
Master of the Kings Horse. It has been said that a cannon was
employed from the top of nearby Church Hill to bombard or demolish
what were the then extensive buildings. The last known prior of
Newark Priory was Richard Lipscombe, appointed just before the
surrender of the house in 1538. The building falling into ruin was
said to have been further destroyed by locals using the stones for
road mending; until Lord Onslow, the owner in the 1730s, decided to
preserve what remained.
Newark Priory is listed as a Grade I Ancient Monument and has
been placed upon the English Heritage Register of Buildings at
risk, established in 2007. It is located on private land so is
unable to be reached at a close proximity.
Please do not try to enter the field in
which the ruins stand.
There is off-road parking very nearby or, if you’re planning a
longer walk, you can park free of charge in the car park at nearby
Newark Bridge and make your way along the footpath. You will need
to cross this very busy road so please take adequate care of
children and/or pets. Once at the cache site you might want to
extend your walk along the waterway toward Woking Palace.
