Gun Hill Signal Station Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Gun Hill Signal Station, located in the parish of St. George, provides a magnificent view of the South and East of the island.
Gun Hill is the finest of a series of six signal stations built in the early 1800's. These stations carried news across the island using flags and lantern codes. They were used to warn of approaching ships, cane fires and also slave rebellions on the island. Gun Hill Signal Station was also used as a convalescent area for the evacuation of the Garrison in Bridgetown when epidemics such as yellow fever and cholera broke out.
Gun Hill was the largest and most important military outpost in Barbados, with military associations from at least 1697. In the Militia Act of that year, when it was known as Briggs Hill, it was named as one of the four points where guns were to be placed to give alarm in the event of an invasion.
Gun Hill was the key link in the chain of signal stations, passing signals between the other five signal stations - Highgate (in the South), Moncrieffe (in the East), Dover Fort, Grenade Hall and Cotton Tower (to the North). Of these, only the signal stations at Grenade Hall and Cotton Tower remain.
The signal station was restored and landscaped by the Barbados National Trust in 1983 and now houses a collection of military memorabilia.
On the hillside below the Signal Station is the famous statue of the lion. This was carved out of a single piece of coral-stone in 1868 by Captain Henry Wilkinson, an officer at the signal station, with help from four military labourers.
We would recommend that you have a look around the signal station. However, the cache is not located at the signal station, but close to the lion statue. You will have to drive passed the signal station and continue down and around the hillside to reach the lion statue. There is a parking space just before the steps up to the lion statue. Sometimes there can be a few muggles around, so you may need to be stealthy.
The cache is a 450ml lock-lock tupperware box. Contains a badge for the FTF. Please replace the cache exactly as you found it.
As with many caches on the island that are not in the centre of towns, this cache is best done during the daytime, when it is relatively safe.
Cache maintenance will be carried out by a relative who lives locally.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ubyr haqre ebpxf arne gb gur onfr bs gur fgnvef.