Small cache, bring your own pen.
Cache location was muggled so same clues now point to a new location
This is number 4 in the emCache series.
The given Coordinates are for a free car park, from here you need to complete a short walk around the old village of Chellaston collecting clues along the way. The main walk is all on fairly flat paths although there are some "woodland" stairs on the way to the final location. You will be on paths until very close to the cache location.
History of Chellaston and Alabaster
Celerdestune is mentioned in the Domesday Book, it is dervived from Ceolhard's Tun (Tun = farm). Various forms of the spelling followed until it became fixed in the form we know today, Chellaston. In 1801, the village had a population of less than 200 and this had only increased to 654 by the time of the 1901 census.
Its mineral resources were firstly marketed as alabaster, then as plaster and later as bricks. The purest, whitest alabaster, which was found nearest the surface, was used during the 14th and 15th centuries for effigies, monuments and altarpieces.
The earliest documentary reference to alabaster was a commission in 1367 from King Edward III to Peter the Mason, of Nottingham, for an altarpiece for the free chapel of St George at Windsor. The altarpiece cost £200 and required 10 eight-horse carts to transport it over a journey that took 17 days. It is thought to have been made of Chellaston alabaster.
Examples of alabaster monuments can be seen in many local churches including Swarkestone, Aston-on-Trent, Mackworth, Radbourne, Breedon and Derby Cathedral (the tomb of Bess of Hardwick) .
In the 16th century, the coloured varieties of alabaster became more acceptable and earlier workings were reopened to meet demand when most of the white had been extracted.
The 19th century saw a revival of alabaster after a decline in demand for tombs in the 17th. But as quantities of good carving quality stone became more difficult to find, the amount of poorer quality gypsum increased. The extraction of the stone, the sorting, crushing, firing and transporting helped to keep Chellaston’s men and boys in employment.
With the coming of the canals, vast quantities were sent to the Potteries to make the plaster moulds for crockery and tiles. Gypsum was also used for paths and roads and in housing for walls and floors.
In 1938, the mine and works closed down but already established in the quarry, from about 1871, was a brick and tile making industry. For centuries, the waste clay from the quarrying had been removed and very little use made of it until the latter part of the 19th century when access to relatively cheap coal was assured by the railway. With plenty of raw material (but decreasing gypsum) and the necessary fuel, it wasn’t long before the main activity was the manufacture of bricks. Both world wars gave a boost to the industry. During the Second World War, Chellaston Minerals were required to have sufficient bricks for a major rebuilding of Rolls-Royce in case it was seriously damaged by enemy bombing raids. And one of the largest contracts was the supply of bricks to build the huge Spondon factory for the Ministry of Supply which eventually became British Celanese. These brickworks closed in 1978.
The Walk
From the car park walk to Stage 1.
No. 24 Chapel Lane is the old chapel that was used until the chapel in the high street was built in 1873. It has been recorded that 200 people were crammed into this building at its opening.
When was the old chapel built? call this 18AB
Now proceed to stage 2.
Walk down Chapel Lane past Chellaston Cottage dating back to 1760.
Enter the churchyard and take the time to walk around the medieval church of St Peter. (You do not need to leave the paths).
What year was JOHN ROBINSON born? call this CDEF.
Now proceed to stage 3.
You don't need to collect any information here but it's only a short detour. Here you will be outside the Methodist Chapel, built in 1873 at a cost of £681.0.6. It contains the largest piece of alabaster in the village and a number of large rough pieces can be seen in the "garden" at the front. Several other pieces can be seen in the garden walls of houses further up the high street on the way back to the Church.
Opposite the Methodist Chapel, on the corner of Lime Avenue, stands a cottage with one of the original "fire plaques" visible above the modern alarm box. These badges were erected by insurance companies to signify that the property was insured. Each respective insuring company was identified by its own particular emblem embossed upon the plaque.
The "County" company was established in 1807 by an "association of noblemen end gentlemen" for the particular benefit of residents in country districts. The fire-plate depicts Britannia with a shield of the Royal Arms as they were in 1807. The County was absorbed into the Alliance (later Sun Alliance) in 1906.
Now proceed to stage 4.
Walk back up the hill without going back into the churchyard. At the zebra crossing you will see a nailed up door in the churchyard wall. This encloses a tap from an underground cistern, holding rainwater from the church roof. Before piped water came to Chellaston, there was a good supply of well-water, but it was too "hard" to use for washing. Soap turned it into hard 'curds' and in a dry summer the church verger sold the rainwater for 1/2d. a bucket.
Stage 4 is a space formed by the remaining two walls of the ancient pound or pinfold. Modern traffic necessitated the removal of the walls and the gate as it was a blind corner. The story on the stone is taken from a diary of the time.
In what year did Nathan Bentley take his Ass out of the Pinfould!? call this GHIJ
Continue up the main road and turn right on Pit Close Lane.
The Final Cache location can be found at
N52 52.(I)(D-B-A)(E) W001 2(E-C).(H-G)(J-C)(F)
Note, the letters and sums within each pair of brackets will give you a single number. Just write these down to give you the final location. i.e. if (X-Z) then it could be (7-5) so the answer would be 2
The area past the car park is where the Alabaster quarry and then the Gypsum and brick works were situated. You can stay on the main paths until the last 10 feet or so from the cache.
You should be able to remove cache from its location without disturbing its camouflage.
We hope you enjoyed this cache and hope you will carry on and complete the rest of the series.
Remember to record the code thats in the cache. You will need it to find the final in the series.
GeoRams
Some of the information for this cache has been taken from an old leaflet produced by the Chellaston History Group.