GC2JEAX Horfield Common (Traditional Cache) in South West England, United Kingdom created by hens

This cache has been archived.

hens_teeth:
Sorry, the muggles have used up my cache stash!

Hopefully to return in the future.

GC2JEAX ▼

A cache by hens_teeth Message this owner

Hidden : 11/19/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

This is one of a series of urban caches that I will be using as an opportunity to relay some of Bristol’s fascinating history.

Horfield has previously been known as Horefelle (the Doomsday Book), Harfelle (in the reign of Edward I) and Horsfield. It was at one time notorious for its forest Horwood which, like Kingswood to the east of Bristol, provided shelter for vagrants and bandits - it was “worse even than Filton”. In fact there were only paths and tracks in the area until the construction of the turnpike road to Gloucester (along the line of the present day Gloucester Road).

At the beginning of the 19th century the Horfield parish had a population of 119 housed in cottages and farmhouses. The majority of these buildings were sited near the present day common, where any who had commoner's rights could graze one horse, two cows or three yearlings.

Horfield grew rapidly from railway operations (Horfield is on the Bristol to Birmingham mainline) and also gave a home to army barracks, opened in 1845 by the Duke of Wellington, and the prison constructed in 1847 to replace the Bristol Gaol burnt down in the 1831 Bristol Riots. Now it is fully enveloped by Bristol proper. Its two most famous sons are Paul Dirac (Hawkings: “Dirac has done more than anyone this century, with the exception of Einstein, to advance physics and change our picture of the universe”) and Archibald Leach (aka Cary Grant, 1970 Academy Award Winner for general excellence).

This is a grab-and-dash cache situated at the headline co-ordinates. It is on the side of the common previously bordered to the South West by Quab Farm (a quab was possibly the name given to the type of fish found in nearby ponds) and to the North West by what is still Golden Hill. The name of the latter is either of ancient pagan origin (supported by the discovery of human remains during the laying of gas pipes in 1896) or simply arose because the fields in the area used to be full of buttercups. Either way it is a prime site with views SW to Bath and NW to Wales – indeed local wags have it that the Kellaway Arms is the highest public house in Bristol.

N.B. A primary source for the above history is (visit link)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Yvtugavat obyg.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)