St Mary Park Trail 1 Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is the first cache in a trail surrounding the new St Mary Park development, previously St Mary's Hospital. St Mary’s Hospital was designed by George Thomas Hine. Construction started in 1910 and it opened as the Gateshead Borough Lunatic Asylum in 1914. The hospital was requisitioned for military use during the First World War and then became Gateshead County Borough Mental Hospital in 1920. Following the end of its war duties the site was returned to Gateshead who added a nurse’s home in 1927-8 and modified the isolation hospital to form a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. Part of the hospital was also requisitioned for military use during the Second World War. The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948, under which the hospital became known as St. Mary’s – named after the Stannington parish church. After services transferred to Bensham General Hospital, the hospital closed in 1995. Most of the hospital was demolished in 2015 to make way for housing. However, some buildings remain in varying forms, including 34 former staff houses known locally as The Villas, as well as the former gate-keeping lodge, Chief Medical Superintendent's Home and the Administration block, now known as St Mary's Inn. (History credit www.countyasylums.co.uk) The trail is just under 3km, and should be walkable for children. Wellies will be required in wetter weather as it can be very muddy.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
gerr gehax