Gambol Through the Grange Multi-Cache

The Grange: a genteel district of Edinburgh lying a little over a mile south of Princes Street. It is bounded on its north side by the districts of Marchmont and Sciennes, with Morningside to the west,  Liberton and Blackford to the south,  and Newington to the east. It was once part of the Borough Muir, a wild isolated marshland separated from the city by the Borough Loch (now filled in to form the Meadows recreational park). A notable assembly took place on the Borough Muir in 1513: King James IV's army was mustered here before leaving for the disastrous defeat at Flodden. ‘Grange’ is an old word for a farm; the original farmhouse  was given to The Church in the 12th century by Alexander I who ordered the building of a church dedicated to St Giles. It was owned firstly by monks from Carlisle (at that time, Carlisle belonged to Scotland.) Now known as  the Grange of St Giles, the house had 3 storeys, a battlement and turreted corners! In the 14th century the estate along with the house became privately owned and over the years it was owned in succession by several prominent families, notably the Wardlaws, Cants, Dicks and Lauders.  In 1825, Sir Thomas Dick Lauder obtained an Act of Parliament in order to begin development of the area. In doing so, he retained the feudal superior role but sold plots of land to people who then built homes,  including the grand manor houses and villas that are typical of the area. Another notable owner was the 'Gentleman Scientist' John Napier, the inventor of logarithms. Nowadays the Grange is known as a suburb of Edinburgh where house prices seem to go up and up even during periods of recession; and sadly many of the grand homes have been 'asset-stripped' of their gardens to make room for more houses.  

This is one of a series of sightseeing historical tours around the leafy suburbs of south Edinburgh. The others are:

• Meander Through Marchmont
• Bimble Through Blackford
• Mosey Through the Meadows
• Saunter Through Sciennes
• Birl Through Bruntsfield
  
  Once you've done them all, you can try for the bonus cache: Jig Through Half a Dozen History Multis
  
  

  So, Let's Go!

  
  

  Let’s begin our journey in Grange Loan at the Carlton Cricket Club N 55° 55.866' W 3° 11.340

  The club used to be called Grange Cricket Club when it was formed in 1832. Around 1863 it was renamed after the Carlton Club in London.

  
  

  CLUE 1: There is a club crest on the gate. How many letters are there in the Latin motto?

  
  

  Now we shall take a walk along Grange Loan and admire the Wyverns. Waypoint 2, Westmost Wyvern N55º 55.890, W003º11.214; Waypoint 3, Eastmost Wyvern N55º55.920, W003º11.059
  They used to be situated on the gateposts at the entrance to Grange House at the corner of Dick Place and Lauder Road, which we shall visit soon. (way point 6, Clue 5) but were moved after the house was demolished. A Wyvern is a creature with the body of a dragon and a barbed tail, but it has only 2 legs. (Dragons have 4 legs….the Wyverns are NOT griffins, which are part lion and part eagle, and don’t breathe fire). Are any of you old enough to remember a car called a Vauxhall Wyvern? You need to look at both wyverns to find the answer needed.

  
  

  CLUE 2: Do the wyverns both face the same way, or do they face towards each other or away from each other?
  Answer 1 if you think they face away from each other, 2 if you think they face each other, answer 3 if you think they both point west, answer 4 if you think they both point east.

  
  

  Continue along Grange Loan to its junction with Findhorn Place. Way point 4 N55º56.005 W003º10.812 The Penny Well. Some Water Board workmen uncovered the well in 2002. After many people came to see it, it was tarmaced over again. It is believed to have belonged to the convent of St Catherine of Sienna in Sciennes. The water was supposed to have healing properties, particularly for eye diseases. The spring that fed the well ran through the grounds of Grange House, and its speculated that the well finally dried up in 1870 probably as a result of all the house building going on dusturbing the water table. However it was reinstated by connecting it to the public water supply and continued to be used until about 1945, when it was removed, but the red sandstone marker was retained and placed where you can see it today. Why is is called the Penny Well? Because the woman who lived near it charged a penny for a cupful!

  CLUE 3: How many metal rings are there on the stone?

  
  

  Now walk up Findhorn Place a short distance, take a left into Dalrymple Crescent (or 'millionaires' row as it is sometimes known locally) then turn right into South Lauder Road. Walk up to no. 15, St Andrews Cottage. Waypoint 5: N55º56.012, W003º11.121 There is a date above the gate, 1852. Do you think it has a certain ‘ecclesiastical’ look about it? I did too, however it is more associated with education; this house was run for many years by the Misses Bell up until 1922 as a boarding and day school for young ladies.

  CLUE 4: What colour is the door? Answer 5 for red, 6 for lilac, 7 for brown.

  
  

  Now continue to the junction of Lauder Road and Dick Place, southwest corner. Way point 6: N 55° 56.026' W 3° 11.176.Northwood You are standing at the entrance of Northwood elderly care home, but it was once the entrance gates of the original Grange House. Notice the thick, sloping wall? It was once part of the gates. It was here that the 2 Wyverns guarded the entrance. Quite a lot of history is known about Grange House. The lands of ‘Sanct Geilie Grange’ were given by King David I to the monks of Harehope, near Carlisle, in 1128, and it was used as a monastic farmhouse. (As noted previously, in those days, Carlisle was in Scotland). The Kings that succeeded David I retained superiority though and were able to take it back whenever they liked and give it to whoever they wanted; so somewhere around 1390, King Robert III gave the land to one Andrew Wardlaw, and then in 1506 King James IV gave it to John Cant. It remained in the Cant family until 1631 when it was sold to William Dick. (originally ‘De Dyck’ from the Netherlands). The estate was owned for a while in the 16th century by John Napier, inventor of logarithms. Some notable people are known to have visited the house, including Bonnie Prince Charlie himself, and Sir Walter Scott. It was damaged by fire in 1544: The English army, under the Earl of Hertford, spread destruction during the ""Rough Wooing". During the 19th century the house was extensively modernised and extended with designs by the famous architect and designer of Edinburgh's New Town, WH Playfair. Finally the house was demolished in 1936 to make way for building the homes that are there today.
  
  CLUE 5: How many little windows are in the black gate?

  
  

  Our route continues to the junction of Lauder Road and Grange Rd, to the East gate of Grange Cemetery and the Old Public Fountain dating from 1889, Waypoint 7: N55º 56.122, W003º11.387.
  It contains the graves of several notable persons, such as: Thomas, Andrew and John Usher, (brewers) Sir Thomas Dick-Lauder, (owner of the Grange Estate), Rev Guthrie, (philanthropist), Ivan Szabo of Transylvania, (photographer), Hugh Millar, (stonemason and geologist), Rev Thomas Chalmers, (leader of 'The Disruption' and founder of the Free Church of Scotland), Thomas Nelson (publisher), Robin Cook (Labour politician who opposed the Iraq war), James Thin (bookseller), John Bartholomew (map maker) and many others. For reasons of respect for the cemetery and the fact that it’s not always open, there is nothing to do inside, but you may enjoy the detour to walk around it. Stop and admire the old public drinking fountain beside the gate.

  
  CLUE 6: Tricky one! Count the number of ‘turns' in the rope on the LEFT side The correct answer is not odd.
  
  

  From here, cross the road and walk down Chalmers Crescent, to the German Lutheran Church. Waypoint 8: N55º56.268, W003º11.487 The church moved here in 1954; prior to that the building was occupied by the Glendinning School of Dancing. It was rebuilt in 1966 to include the splendid, long abstract designed stained glass window.
  
  Clue 7: count the number of vertical stained glass panels.

  
  

  Return back up Chalmers Crescent a short way and turn right into Palmerston Rd to rejoin Grange Rd. On the way, you will pass by no. 10 Palmerston Road, which was the site of the original (real!) St Trinnean’s school for girls, which was used as the inspiration for the famed series of movies including The Belles of St Trinian’s. Your final 2 clues are close together at St Catherine's Argyle Church. Waypoint 9 and Waypoint 10: N55º56.132, W003º 11.410. The foundation stone was laid in 1865, but the first lot of builders went bankrupt (nothing new nowadays then!) which explains why the church has 2 different types of stone. Can you see that?

  
  Clue 8: How many letters in the last word of the 2nd line on the plaque?

  
  Clue 9: look for a plaque on the stone gate post. In what year were the gates presented? 19?6

  
  
  

  NOW Do your sums and go for the cache. The cache can be found at:

  N55º55. ABC, W003º11.DEF where:
  A= Half of Clue 6
  B= Clue 4 minus Clue 2
  C= Clue 3 plus Clue 4
  D= Clue 9 divide by 3
  E= Clue 8 minus clue 5
  F= (Clue 7 minus Clue 1) divided by 7
  CHECKSUM: your 3 numbers for the northing should add up 21. Your 3 numbers for the westing should add up to 11
  Go for it if you're sure, otherwise get another hint on the geochecker

  
  
  

  I hope you have enjoyed your 'gambol' around the Grange, and on the way you have learned something about the history of the place. There are of course some other places of interest that I haven't included as clues in this multicache, but if you are interested here's a few:

  • Wyvern Park: a modern CALA homes development of 13 houses and 2 blocks of flats built on the site of Craigmount School.
  • Esdaile Bank: a lovely turreted building developed into very expensive apartments that was once a school for daughters of the manse, and more recently the training college of the Royal Bank of Scoltand.
  • 46 Dick Place: a private home that was once owned by Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson (28 June 1847 – 23 February 1927) an Icelandic composer best known for composing Lofsöngur, the National Anthem of Iceland.
  • 19 Grange Terrace, now a nursing home, was once the HQ of the British Geological Survey.
  • 10 Palmerston Road, a private home, which was once a school called St Trinnean's.
    
    
    

    Finally, if you are interested in the area, there is a wealth of information on the website of the Grange Association, which includes an interactive map>> Click here to go to Grange Association

    
    
    
    
    

    Congratulations Danale and Mum of George, First to Find!