Newtown Trail 1 Multi-Cache
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Size: 
(regular)
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A multicache walk around Newtown
I’ve been meaning to set up this multicache for a while now.
A circular tour of Newtown taking in places of interest and historic buildings.
This walk starts at the Long Bridge and should take you no more than 45 minutes to complete.
Waypoint 1 – Long Bridge. Co-ordinates N52’ 31.011 W3’ 19.001
This stone bridge was built around 1827, ten years before Victoria became Queen, to replace an older wooden bridge nearby. The extra cast-iron arches and supporting struts which were attached to both sides of the original stone bridge in 1857.
The clue you are looking for is the number of arches spanning the river (A).
Waypoint 2 – Robert Owen Memorial. Co-ordinates N52’ 31.007 W3’ 18.870
Robert Owen was Britain’s first “Socialist”, born in Newtown in 1771. At the age of ten, he was apprenticed to a draper’s in Stamford and at just twenty one, he was manager of a new, steam-powered mill with 500 employees. Owen did much to improve the working and living conditions there, and found that it paid. He built fine schools, including the first infants’ school and adult evening classes. He published his ideas on education in “A New View of Society”, which was widely read. He promoted a Factory Bill to improve working conditions generally, but its provisions were much diluted. in 1815, there was considerable unemployment. Owen proposed building “Villages of Co-operation” for the unemployed, but the cost was prohibitive. Owen went on to advocate co-operative living for all, and in 1824 he purchased the Indiana town of New Harmony for a community experiment. It failed: the habit of private enterprise was too ingrown.
Returning to England, Owen found that many small co-operative businesses had sprung up. He opened “Labour Exchanges” to facilitate trade between them. In 1834, he headed the short-lived Grand National Consolidated Trades Union, which collapsed following the conviction of the“Tolpuddle Martyrs”.
The Owenites founded a major community at Queenwood in Hampshire in 1839, but this failed due to over-lavish building. Owen returned to Newtown in 1858 to die. Some of his ideas live on in the Co-operative Movement.
The clue that you are looking for is the date in May 1993 that the restoration of his memorial was unveiled (B).
Waypoint 3 – Barclays Building. Co-ordinates N52’ 30.926 W3’ 18.904
Looking up towards the town clock, this building was built in AD 189(C).
Waypoint 4 – Memorial Gardens. Co-ordinates N52’ 30.886 W3’ 18.815
Behind the statue of our friend Robert Owen is a plaque. The clue is the number of people on the plaque (D).
Waypoint 5 – Let us not forget. Co-ordinates N52’ 30.837 W3’ 18.744
The number of Lloyds that died in World War Two (E).
Waypoint 6 – Pryce Jones building. Co-ordinates N52’ 30.769 W3’ 18.647
Pryce Jones was born on October 16th 1834 in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. He apprenticed to a local draper, John Davies, and took over the business in 1856. In the same year he married Eleanor Rowley Morris of Newtown. The business, renamed the Royal Welsh Warehouse, flourished.
In an attempt to sell his goods to as many people as possible he developed the idea of sending patterns of merchandise to local gentry, which then led on to him sending out lists of available merchandise from his own and other factories much further afield, eventually advertising abroad. One of his products was the patented Euklisia Rug - an all-in-one rug, shawl, blanket and pillow. This was used extensively by German troops during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1 and later became known as a sleeping bag.
Large new premises were built in Newtown in 1878 to house the expanding business and it was opened with much pomp and ceremony on 3rd October 1879.
The clue here is the Paris date 187(F) which is closest to the main entrance.
Now follow the yellow brick road to:-
Waypoint 7 – Newtown Baptist Church. Co-ordinates N52’ 30.795 W3’ 18.824
The clue here is the number of Corinthian columns in front of the main entrance (G).
Now follow the yellow brick road again and head to:-
Waypoint 8 – Dolerw Park Bridge. Co-ordinates N52’ 30.897 W3’ 19.184
If you jump up and down on this bridge, you can make it bounce.
The clue here is the year that this bridge was opened 19(H)3.
Congratulations, you now have all the clues required to find the cache, which is large enough for travel bugs and medium sized swaps. The co-ordinates for the cache are set out below
N 52’ 3(D-F).(B-F-H)(C-D)G
W 03’ 1D.(C-H)(A+E)F
Congrats to ccrevell and wavydale for their joint FTF.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
rnfg fvqr bs gerr onfr
Treasures
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