Ghost Trail #1 - Oak Hill Park
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is a short multi-cache of just over a mile in length, taking you on a walk through Oak Hill Park in East Barnet.
It is the first of a series to be put out celebrating the ghosts of the Barnet area, of which there are surprisingly many! If you prefer to do your ghost hunting after dark, then this is available 24/7, but you will need a torch to help get the clues.
Parking for this cache can be found in several lay-bys along Church Hill Road, or in many of the side roads around the park.
WAYPOINT #1 - N 51° 38.430, W 000° 09.707
The start of your journey is at one of the entrances to Oak Hill Park, on the corner of Church Hill Road and Little Grove.
In the 1930’s, an eminent Justice of the Peace described Church Hill Road as “The Ghosts Promenade”, because of the number of spectral sightings associated with it. The Barnet Press once reported, “Headless hounds, decapitated bodies, spectres in the trees – the list of ghostly experiences at Oak Hill Park in East Barnet seems to go on and on...”.
It is time for you to walk The Ghosts Promenade! Starting at the green post on the very corner of Church Hill Road and Little Grove, walk in a southeasterly direction. How many green posts are there up to the first bus stop you reach? Include the starting corner post in your count. When you arrive at the bus stop you will note that the last post is not green, and thus that post should NOT be included in your count.
The number of posts you count is AB.
WAYPOINT #2 - N 51° 38.223, W 000° 09.460
It was around this point that an ancient oak tree suddenly burst into flames in the early 1930’s, on a clear summer’s day. No apparent cause for the fire could be found, and spontaneous combustion was suggested. Speculation on the matter was rife, and the cause of the fire has never been resolved.
What is so strange about this event was that this oak tree was not just any old oak tree. It was the tree under which the famous religious visionary and prophetess, Joanna Southcott (1740-1815), used to sit during her many visits to friends in the area. It was under this tree that she was said to have received the inspiration that led to many predictions and secrets, supposedly contained after her death in what is known (rather unimaginatively in my view) as “Joanna Southcott’s Box”.
This box was (perhaps still is) a sealed box of prophesies, with instructions that it should only be opened in a time of national crisis, and only then in the presence of all 24 bishops of the Church of England (there were only 24 at the time). Attempts were made to persuade the episcopate to open the box during the Crimean and First World Wars, but these attempts failed. Eventually, the Bishop of Grantham was persuaded to attend the box’s opening in 1927. It was found to contain only a few oddments and bits of paper, including a horse pistol and lottery ticket.
However, the followers of Southcott claimed that the box opened was not the true one, and that the true box was kept at a secret location by the bishops; perhaps that is the case, to this very day! There were even newspaper campaigns in the 1960's and 70's to have the true box opened.
That is the story of Joanna Southcott’s Box, the origins of which can be traced to the spontaneously combusting tree at the location you are now standing at. You are only required to “predict” one thing at this place. What is the number on the top right corner of the plate on each of the three inspection covers set into the ground at this location?
That number is CD
WAYPOINT #3 - N 51° 38.137, W 000° 09.331
You will have to cross “The Ghosts Promenade” to reach this waypoint. Please be careful – it can be a busy road and we do not want to add to the abundant number of ghosts already known to the area!
One of the more prominent ghosts in this area is that of Sir Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex.
Sir Geoffrey's father had lost much of the land gifted to his grandfather after the Norman Conquest, and so Sir Geoffrey set out to recover the family’s fortunes by whatever means he could. Through harsh methods and political manoeuvring, he became England’s premier baron by 1141. However, in 1143 he was arrested for treason by the King, Stephen, and threatened with execution. He surrendered his castles to Stephen, but then launched a rebellion against him from the Fens. He was besieged by Stephen in 1144 and killed from a wound sustained from an arrow during a skirmish. He had also been excommunicated in 1143, so was denied a Christian burial, and his body was wrapped in lead. It was eventually taken to the Temple Church in London and buried there.
It is the denial of a Christian burial which is said to cause his ghost to haunt what remains of the woods at East Barnet, and indeed the Hadley Woods aswell (Ghost Trail cache to follow!). Another legend says he was killed whilst burying his treasure, and so his ghost guards the hidden stash.
Sir Geoffrey is said to appear in full armour on horseback, galloping across Oak Hill Park and disappearing behind St Mary’s Church, the graveyard of which you are now stood next to. As to why his horse appears with him, I can only speculate that it too was probably not given a Christian burial, so it may also be feeling a bit peeved.
You do not need to enter the churchyard. This waypoint will take you to the boundary railings. Through those railings you will be able to see a large monument, and on that monument is carved a shield, embossed with swords.
The number of swords on the single shield you can see = E
WAYPOINT #4 - N 51° 38.230, W 000° 09.137
When you get to this point have a look up the hill, back to St Mary’s Church, and imagine the site of Sir Geoffrey's ghost galloping across the park and up to the church!
The legend of Sir Geoffrey’s ghost is sufficiently well documented to be recorded on the official Pymmes Brook Trail information boards. Indeed, the Pymmes Brook is believed by some to be a conduit for the reported manifestations in the area. The brook running beside you is the Pymmes Brook.
There is a lamppost where you are standing. What is its number?
The number of the lamppost is FG
THE CACHE LOCATION
The cache can be found at:
N 51° 38.B(A-D+G)(E-D)
W 000° 09.F(C-B)(D+E)
There is a number written in one of the lids of the cache container, and repeated on the log book. Take a note of that number for the bonus cache which will be coming soon(ish!)
Please replace the cache container carefully and cover it up again.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Svir sbbg uvtu.