Hackney Downs: Metal Muncher
The cache, a small black-taped tablet tube, is hidden behind one of a number of metal spikes of a fence being gradually devoured by a tree (believed to be a wild cherry according to the tree map - see link below) near the centre of this fine London park.
***Please take care to watch out for muggles when undertaking your caching activities, and ensure the cache is carefully replaced in position so that it does not fall down from its hiding place. Use the piece of bark provided to ensure the cache is properly concealed***
Hackney Downs is an open space and a broader area in Lower Clapton, in the London Borough of Hackney; it is also the name of a local council ward. It borders on Stoke Newington to the west and Shacklewell to the south. Although part of Clapton, as a distinct area, it can be said to be bounded by Amhurst Road to the south, Kenninghall Road to the north, Cricketfield Road to the east and the railway to the west, thus occupying most of the western half of Lower Clapton and some of the shrinking district of Shacklewell. The streets north and south of the park are dominated by social housing – these areas were largely rebuilt during the 1930s and 1960s.
The Downs open space was originally common land, preserved from the 1860s as parkland as a result of pressure by the Commons Preservation Society. It opened as a public park in 1884. At 16 hectares (40 acres), the park is one of the larger open spaces wholly within the London Borough of Hackney. It has a play area, basketball courts, football pitches and a bowling green.
Occupying, as it does, a fairly central place in Hackney, the park used to be the yearly venue for the popular 
Hackney Show, but this event - which helped to give a sense of community and identity to an often-troubled borough - has been discontinued in recent times as a cost-cutting measure, as have the regular Fireworks Night shows. The park was given a Green Flag award in July 2008.
See here for more info on the park from the official web-site
See here for a 2011-16 park management plan which gives a detailed history of the park and some interesting old maps and photos.
See here for a map of the trees of Hackney Downs produced by the Tree Musketeers.
See here for a short video of Russell Brand opening a mosaic feature in the park children's playground in 2014.
See here for a fascinating blog on the history and symbolism of ancient Hackney and the ley lines running through the park.