Bunhill Fields Traditional Cache
Southerntrekker: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
Regards
Southerntrekker - Volunteer UK Reviewer London & North Wales www.geocaching.com
UK Geocaching Policies Wiki
Geocaching Help Center
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Bunhill Fields is a cemetery located north of the City of London, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares (0.04 km2) in extent; although historically was much larger.
It was used as a burial site for Nonconformists from the late seventeenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century and contains the graves of many notable people.
In 1665 the City of London Corporation decided to use some of the fen or moor fields as a common burial ground for the interment of bodies of inhabitants who had died of the plague and could not be accommodated in the churchyards. Although enclosing walls for the burial ground were completed, the ground was, it appears, never consecrated or actually used by the authorities for burials.
Instead, a Mr Tindal took over the lease. He allowed extramural burials in its unconsecrated soil, which became popular with Nonconformists - those citizens of London or surrounding villages who treasured the independence of their religious beliefs and therefore practised Christianity outside of the Church of England.
So many historically important Protestant nonconformists chose this as their place of interment, that the nineteenth century poet and writer Robert Southey gave Bunhill Fields the memorable appellation: the Campo Santo of the Dissenters; a phrase that also came to be commonly applied to its 'daughter' cemetery at Abney Park.
The main burial ground was also severely damaged by German bombing during World War II, necessitating an expansion of the public park area in 1960, such that close to half of the former burial ground became laid out and maintained as a public garden with open access. The rest remains attractively landscaped though enclosed behind railings, to protect the areas with more delicate monuments and the whole is maintained by the City of London Corporation. Legislation in 1960 transferred the freehold to the Corporation.
Notable graves:
William Blake (1757 – 1827), painter, engraver, poet, and mystic
Cromwells, two tombs bear the family name – "R Cromwell" and "H Cromwell"
Daniel Defoe (1661 – 1731), author of Robinson Crusoe
Richard Price (1733 – 1791), founder of life insurance principles
John Benjamin Tolkien, grandfather of writer J R R Tolkien
This cache is a nano and is available 24/7.
It is rated as difficult level 2.5 since the pub, that is located across the street, attracts lots of thirsty mugglers during After Work hours, specially during summertime when the street is overflown with punters.
***FTF & STF****
Congratulations to Loony Londo for the FTF and to beetstarz for the STF.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Eblny Erq
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures