Brancepeth Village grew up outside the grounds of the medieval castle, built for the Anglo-Saxon Bulmer family, from whom it passed into the hands of the powerful Neville family, who held it until the sixteenth century. The castle was later the home of the Boynes, and was a convalescent hospital during the First World War and the headquarters of the Durham Light Infantry during the Second World War.
In the grounds of Brancepeth Castle stands the medieval church of St Brandon. There has been a church on this site since Saxon times but the present building dates from the 12th century onwards. It was once home to some of the best seventeenth-century wood carvings in the country (installed by John Cosin, later Bishop of Durham) but these were lost during a devasting fire in 1998. The church has since been restored and is the centre of a thriving parish community. The tomb of Robert Neville, the 'Peacock of the North', can be seen in the Neville Chapel.
The village street is known simply as 'The Village'. Most of the houses are simple workers' cottages dating back to at least the eighteenth century, but the row is bookended by two mid-nineteenth-century houses, originally built as the parish reading room (north end) and the castle estate manager's house (south end).
The cache is in a medium-size box. Contains log book, pencil and some swaps. You may need to use stealth to avoid inquisitive members of the local golf club!