The Land That Time Forgot
For this multi-cache, I recommend starting at Stage 1 and following the stages through in ascending order up to Stage 6. Your walk will flow better that way and by the time you complete stage 6 and work out the final co-ordinates for the cache, you'll be closer to the final than what you would be at any of the other stages.
Parking:- There are several Pay & Display car parks (free on Sundays) near Stages 1-3 at Old Cross Street, Greenwell Street and Court Street and also free roadside parking is available throughout Newtownards Town Centre (please adhere to Parking Restriction Signs - typically you can park for up to 60 mins between 8am and 6pm Monday - Saturday and return is prohibited within 60 mins).
Stage 1:- Ards Priory.
An Early View of the Priory (note the chimney in the background which is long gone)
Ards Priory is an Anglo-Norman building, probably built by the Savages in 1244. It was one of the very earliest stone-built buildings in the Ards. In 1572, the local landowner / claimant was Sir Brian O'Neill. He discovered that the English army was on its way to take over the land he believed to be his, because Queen Elizabeth had granted the land to her Secretary of State Sir Thomas Smith. Realising they would need strong buildings to garrison the troops, O'Neill burned down all of the abbeys in the area, and probably his own castle (a tower house) which was nearby. The Priory lay in ruin until 1607 when Hugh Montgomery began a restoration project. Montgomery doubled its' size, adding the North Aisle and the Tower (ie the parts of the building that can be seen from the road today) and before winter of 1607, the Priory had been restored and "it was made decently serviceable". Montgomery died in May 1636, and was buried inside the Priory in what was more or less a State funeral, with many nobles and lords from Ulster and Scotland in attendance. The Priory was transferred into the care of the Environment & Heritage Service in 1970 who, in 1988, restored parts of the building.
The Inside of the Priory in 1904
Stage 1 Question:- At N 54° 35.463 W 005° 41.517 you will see a door with beautiful stonework above it. There is a year inscribed into this stonework. Add the first and last digits of this year together and call your answer A.
Stage 2:- The War Memorial
Early photo of The War Memorial
The present Newtownards & District War Memorial is located in a small park known locally as 'The Bowling Green'.
Quote from the unveiling ceremony in 1934, ‘No more appropriate spot could have been chosen for the erection of a memorial to our glorious dead. Situate in the old Bowling Green, and surrounded by trees, shrub, and railings, it is a spot of peace and quiet in which any mother, any wife or any sister, might go on the anniversary of the battle in which their loved ones lost their lives, and spend a few minutes in peaceful meditation, and in conjuring up a vision of the departed ones.’
My great-grandfathers name, William McKittrick, appears on this memorial. He was married to Jane and had one son, Robert (my Granda). William enlisted into the army in 1915 and was posted to 13th Royal Irish Rifles. The batallion spent the summer of 1916 in England before travelling to France in early October as part of the 36th (Ulster) Division. The Division spent several months in and out of the front line, before taking part in the attack on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916. There is a strong probability that William took part in this attack. His batallion suffered very heavy losses that day, 595 men were listed as killed, wounded or missing. Following this attack, the Ulster Division were pulled out of the line and given time to regroup and incorporate the new recruits sent out to replace the men who had been killed. For the rest of 1916 and early 1917, the Division served in quieter sections of the front line. However, quieter sections were not completely safe for the men who manned the trenches. Snipers, artillery shells and accidents continued to claim lives. Sadly, William was killed in action on 14th February 1917. He is buried in St Quentin Cabaret Military Cenetery near the small village of Wulverghem in Belguim.
Stage 2 Question:- At The War Memorial at N 54° 35.485 W 005° 41.513 look for the name 'Wm McKittrick'. How many names appear beneath him? Call this B.
Stage 3:- The Market Cross
An early photo of The Market Cross
Situated at the east end of High Street, The Market Cross was built in 1636 but was destroyed by Commonwealth troops in 1653. The original building was less than 11ft tall and octagonal with a low door and staircase leading to the roof. The present replacement building was finished in 1666. Its conical roof was probably used as an office or shelter for the towns night watchmen. Towns people used to say that the cross 'flowed with wine' at the birth of a royal baby.
Stage 3 Question:- At N 54° 35.550 W 005° 41.583 walk around The Market Cross and you will see 'wolf like' faces jutting out, staring at you. Count the number of these (including those that are heavily eroded/damaged). Call your answer C.
Stage 4:- The Market House
The Harvest Fair in full swing in the 1960's with The Market House in the background.
The Market House is in Conway Square, in the centre of Newtownards. The Market House was built in 1771 by the first Marquess of Londonderry, Robert Stewart (of Mount Stewart). While Sir Hugh Montgomery had made the Priory the centre of the market town he developed in the early 17th century, now the Market House would be the focus of a new layout for the town. Even today, it remains the centre of the town, with Conway Square to its south which holds a market every Saturday and of course the Harvest Fair every September where most young Ardsmen and women get their first goldfish and of course yellowman and honeycomb.
Stage 4 Question:- At N 54° 35.611 W 005° 41.754 you will see a plaque in front of the statue of Lt. Col. Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne which gives a very brief synopsis of his life. In the last line of the first of three main columns of text is a date. Add the first and last digits of this date together and call your answer D. .
Stage 5:- Old Regent House Grammar School
Old Regent House Grammar School
There's probably not too many folk who remember that this beautiful building used to be Regent House Grammar School. I kid you not! Once the school re-located to the Circular Road, Newtownards, this became a car showroom for a while before converting to its current guise as retail premises.
Stage 5 Question:- At N 54° 35.672 W 005° 42.043 you get a pretty good view of the west side of the building. How many windows are on the top floor of the west side of the building? Call your answer E.
Stage 6:- Old Newtownards Courthouse
Old Newtownards Courthouse
Newtownards Courthouse, in it's current guise is a pretty bland, boring building. But it wasnt always like this. As the photo above shows, it used to be quite an attractive building, until it was flattened that is to make way for the current one.
Stage 6 Question:- At N 54° 35.679 W 005° 42.143 you will find a bench, presented by Newtownards & District Round Table to celebrate a Royal event. Take the last digit of the year mentioned and call this F.
Check digit: Your check digit (the sum of A-F) should equal 34.
The Final Cache:- The final cache is a nano sized container. I'd have loved to have placed a larger container here but alas, unfortunately that wasn't possible given the confines of the location.
Final Co-ordinates:- The cache can be found at N 54 35.FCB W 005 42 DAE.
Good luck and I hope you enjoyed your walk through 'The Land that Time Forgot'.