Most of the old village was built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, although only one building from the 17th century - Simmondley Hall - now remains. The village as currently laid out was pretty much established by 1850.
Although by the 1930s there had been some development up Simmondley Lane from Dinting, the village itself was largely unchanged until a development of 600 houses, along with shops and a school, was granted permission in the mid 1960s. This was the start of a major expansion of Simmondley, leading to the village becoming the large housing estate it currently is.
This cache takes you on a short walk around the original village at the 'top' (southern) end of Simmondley estate. This is the main heart of the old village, and you'll pass the original Simmondley Hall, as well as a loom shop (now The Weavings), farmhouse, barn and stables, all now converted into private houses.
(Map from circa 1899)
The given co-ordinates are the best place to park and are where you'll start your tour. On the front of the building are the initials G P B, along with the year it was built. The year is ABCD.
The co-ordinates for Stage 2 take you a short way onto Old Lane, in front of a house called Hazelwood. The house number is EF.
Stage 3 takes you to in front of one of the oldest houses in the village, Hanover Cottage. There is a year inscribed on the lintel above the door. This date is GHJK.
Walk a little further down the road until it becomes a path, and at Stage 4 you will see the date that The Stables was converted. The year is LMNP. Please be careful walking to the next stage, as there is no pavement, the road is narrow and has blind bends.
At Stage 5 you'll be on the green, where you can have a rest if you need to. Next to the bench there is a postbox. On the postbox is the monogram of the monarch in whose reign it was placed there. If this is VR, the letters QT=37. If GR then QT=49. If ER then QT=58.
You should now have all the numbers to work out the final co-ordinates, which are at:
N53 (G+L)E.JQC W001 (K-D)T.(L-J)DQ
The cache is located a short(ish) walk away in a quiet(ish) area, not too overlooked. The container is too small for a pen, so please bring your own, as you do need to sign the log to claim a find. Please ensure the container is hidden exactly as you found it so that it isn't discovered. It isn't hidden in any drystone walls, so please don't disturb any while looking.
Congratulations to bilkobaggins for the FTF!