The site lies on one of the four ancient important roads in the parish of Northolt. Sharvel or Charville Lane or Riggeway, running from Uxbridge to Harrow, crossed the Yeading Brook in the extreme north-west corner of the parish by Golding or Golden Bridge. The road then ran parallel to the parish boundary, passing the north-west of Northolt village, until it left the parish in the extreme north-east corner. It was bisected east of Down manor by Ruislip Road running from West End to Ruislip. The road from Eastcote, known as Ruislip Way and later as Eastcote Lane, joined Sharvel Lane north of Northolt village, and the settlements of Wood End and Northolt were connected by Northolt or Wood End Lane, which continued to West End and Hayes as Janes Street.
Early records show the moated manor of Down or Down Barns belonged to Roger de la Downe who held the freehold land in Northolt in 1212. Historical records show in 1293 Down was in the possession of William de Scaccario and by 1326 it was acquired by Ralph Basset of Drayton. He shortly afterwards sold what was henceforth called the manor of Down to John de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex. In about 1354 it was sold to Simon Francis, who owned Northolt manor, and thereafter until 1616 it was held together with Northolt manor. The Down Barns Manor House, is thought to have been abandoned during the 16th century when a new house was built east of the moated site.
Why did the manor house have a moat? The majority of moated sites served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical military defence. They consist of wide ditches, often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. Moated sites were built throughout the medieval period, the peak building period for moated sites was between about 1250 and 1350. Moated sites are widely scattered throughout England and exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a significant class of medieval monuments and are important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside.
Down Farms moat is a good example of its type, which survives well. It will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the construction, use and history of the site and the landscape in which it was built. Partial excavation was undertaken in 1951-3, and during the cleaning of the moat in 1966, further restoration took place in the late 1980's but results of the excavations are not known. The monument includes a medieval moated site situated on gently sloping low-lying ground, a short distance east of Yeading Brook and Ten Acres nature reserve. The moated site is sub-rectangular in shape and orientated north-south. The island or platform is up to 86m long and 47m wide with rounded corners. It stands up to about 2 to 3m above the level of the water in the moat. The moat varies from 13m at the corners to 3m wide on the western side, where it has probably become partly infilled and survives as a buried feature. On the eastern side is a causeway giving access to the platform. There is a slight irregular projection, where the moat widens, to the south of the entrance.
Close to the stated co-ordinates you will find a display board containing information which will allow you to find values for the cache location.
A = The number of letters in the current owners second name
B = E minus D
C = A minus B
D = The third digit of the telephone number
E = The second digit of the telephone number
F = B plus D
The cache can be found at N51 32.ABC W000 24.DEF