Town Quay & Barbican - Sandwich #5 Traditional Cache
Eastry Cache Bandits: archived in favour of a new series
Town Quay & Barbican - Sandwich #5
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
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This cache is #5 of 5 on a pleasant walk around the town of Sandwich allowing you to take in the sights. Collect all the clues and find the bonus cache - Ringlemere Chalice GC1Y4H4
Town Quay
The original Sandwich haven was a safe natural harbour for ships travelling between the continent and London, and by the eleventh to thirteenth centuries the town had become an important major port. Originally, the River Stour used to be large enough for big trading and war ships to sail to and from the quay. Its wealth lead to repeated raids by the Danes and the French. In 1457, the town was attacked by 4,000 Frenchmen from Honfleur, the town which is in modern times twinned with Sandwich. As a result, the town protected itself with fortified walls and a great boom which prevented passage of ships up the river Stour.
The alliance between the other important ports of Hastings, Rye, Hythe and Dover lead to the formation of the Cinque Ports which in return for providing ships and seamen were granted many privileges and freedoms. Tax and toll free trading was permitted and the five towns had their own courts to deal with their own affairs. Associated with the Cinque Ports were 30 Limbs. Deal, Ramsgate, Brightlingsea, Fordwich and Sarre which were limbs of Sandwich. A ceremony is held in the ancient Courtroom in the Guildhall every year where the remaining as the Sandwich Limbs, Brightlingsea, Fordwich and Sarre. Each Year a ceremony is held for receiving the allegiance of the three remaining as the Sandwich Limbs, Brightlingsea, Fordwich and Sarre. The elected Mayor Deputies receive their chain of office and as a token of their allegiance, each Mayor Deputy pays "Ship Money" to the Mayor of Sandwich. The Mayor Deputy of Brightlingsea pays 10 shillings (50p), the Mayor Deputy of Fordwich pays 3 shillings and 4 pence (17p) and the Mayor Deputy of Sarre always pleads poverty because they are only a very small village.
The Great Storm of 1287 was the beginning of the end for sandwich as a port silting up harbour and the towns fortunes went into decline. Elizabeth 1st was entertained in Sandwich to try to persuade her to help restore the harbour. Alas Sandwich is now two miles inland and the famous golf courses of Royal St Georges and Princes now occupy the once flourishing port.
The Barbican
One of only two remaining gates in the old town wall, the Barbican at one time served as a toll gate for the bridge beyond it. Visitors are no longer subjected to fees for passage over the River Stour, but they may be held up while the bridge is swung open to allow passage of river traffic. The lovely unusual building of the Barbican imposes a size restriction on traffic crossing at this point, and provides a popular subject for painters and photographers. An original toll price plaque makes interesting reading. Before the bridge was built a ferry operated here and just down river, an ancient boom was swung out over the river to prevent pirate invasion.
You are looking for a SD card holder so bring your own pen. Take care as this is a busy muggle area used as a car park and general recreation/attraction - hence the difficulty
This is cache #5 of 5 sited around Sandwich. Collect all of the clues and see if you can find the bonus cache which is sited a couple of miles out of town
Gazen Salt Reserve - Sandwich #1 - GC1Y4KV
The White Mill - Sandwich #2 - GC1Y4KF
The Butts - Sandwich #3 - GC1Y4JD
Guildhall - Sandwich #4 - GC1Y4JR
Town Quay & Barbican - Sandwich #5 - GC1Y4K8
Ringlemere Chalice - Sandwich bonus - GC1Y4H4
Congratulations to Meer and MooToo for their FTF - indeed for FTF 5/6 of this series ! Great to know that this one was a challenge but did not realise it would be the hardest - adjusted the difficulty to make it even with #4
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ovt erq naq sybngf