Weald Country Park has almost 222 hectares (550 acres) of mixed woodland and grassland plus two lakes and a number of ponds. The park is steeped in history and was once the site of a great hall and formal gardens; there are even remains of an Iron Age settlement.
There is a network of pathways, a well established visitor centre and a deer paddock. The deer were reintroduced in 1987 as a reminder that the park was once a Royal Hunting Estate.
The Belvedere
The name Belvedere comes from the Italian meaning "beautiful view"
Early in the 18th century an earlier built house was extensively remodelled, possibly by Hugh Smith (manorial lord 1732-45) who is said to ‘much beautified it in the modern taste’, although the work may have taken place prior to his tenure. Hugh Smith landscaped the park, a plan of 1738 shows a formal layout centred on a geometrically planned lake north-east of the house from which straight avenues ran north and south.
A natural hillock to the east of the house was reshaped and surmounted by a belvedere. The belvedere existed until 1950, when it was demolished with the hall due to war damage. Some remnants remain of the Hall, in particular steps leading to what used to be a folly in the park.
There is the story of a tunnel located beneath South Weald Hall, where the five foot high brick lined construction ran two hundred yards between the house and the stables. Quite why they wanted a tunnel is open to question, maybe to keep out of the rain. Although both house and stables have long gone, the tunnel is still rumoured to exist, the entrance known only to a few villagers sworn to secrecy.
Yet another version has the tunnel from the house appearing under the mound in South Weald Park where the Belvedere tower, complete with a secret room once stood. For many this is the true entrance, pointing to the fact that they had ventured into a large cave under the foundations. According to the Weald rangers there are two rooms behind the bricked up front.
The 16th-century lodge miscalled "Queen Mary's Chapel" because it was locally rumoured to have been used by Queen Mary for quiet prayer and contemplation, which used to be enclosed within Weald Hall's walled kitchen garden, still remains at the edge of the park.
All that remains of the Belvedere
This cache is a multi and it requires you to visit various locations around the Belvedere and answer the questions to find the final co-ordinates for the cache, a short walk away.
The co-ordinates are :-
N51º AB. CDE
E00º FG. HIJ
A Stanley was born in 192A
B Janet died in 19B8
C Janet was born in 19C3
D Number of sides to the Belvedere minus 2
E Stanley died in 19E9
F Number of acorns on the wall
G Jimmy was born 1G.11.40
H Take the year of Tom’s birth away from Iris’s birth year
I Number of letters in Stanley’s surname
J Number of pillars on the steps divided by 4
Purpxfhz sbe gur pb-beqf. vf 54
fgnayrl jnf obea va 1923
fgnayrl qvrq va 1999
ahzore bs yrggref va fgnayrlf fheanzr = 8
Wnarg qvrq va 1978
Wnarg jnf obea va 1933