John Worlidge (1633-1693) was considered a great expert on rural affairs and one of the first British agriculturalists to discuss the importance of farming as an industry. The Avenue is believed to have been part of his garden where experiments for his world renowned book Systema Agriculturæ, the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered took place. (See photo of blue plaque in photo gallery). However, in 1894 new owners laid it out as a private road with chains barring the way to the public, but in 1920 these chains were removed allowing the public to use it as an access route to the Heath Pond.
In the 1960's a new Infant School was proposed for the green space but public opinion won a victory to save it as a public recreation ground instead. As a young teenager in the 1970's I remember winning a Donkey Derby here, hosted by Anton Darby of Radio Victory fame. (Actually, the donkey came last but as I was the only person who managed to stay sitting on a donkey at the finish line, I won!)
A new pavilion was built on the site in the 1980's which serves both as a recreational area for the users of the playing fields and as a community facility.
The Task:
The co-ordinates will take you to 2 notice boards. Make a note of the telephone number listed near the top of the right hand board. 01730 ABCDEF
Final can be found at:
N51 00.(A-F) (E-D) C W000 55.E (C+D) (A+C+D)
The checksum for all 15 digits is 47
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