The cache is in West End (but don't expect a banging night-time scene!) on the edge of the village of Wickwar on the northern boundary of South Gloucestershire, lying midway between the 2 markets towns of Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire and Chipping Sodbury, and on the main Bristol–Birmingham railway line, where the line passes through a 1,281 metre long tunnel.
The place-name 'Wickwar' is referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Wichen', meaning 'dairy farm or settlement'. The manor was given to John la Warre by King John and was held by Roger la Warre in 1285, when it was referred to as 'Warre Wyke'.
The original settlement would have been to the north of the church, which is now on the very edge of the village. The new location was initiated in 1285 when Roger de la Warre obtained a charter for a market from Edward I and created a new planned settlement, now the High Street, which became known as Wickwar.
The parish church of Holy Trinity stands on high ground on the northern edge of the village and is very visible from West End. The church is reached either by a raised footpath called the Stank (meaning dam – there were fishponds here until the 19th century), by a small country lane, or a range of footpaths.
Three of our other caches, Church Peek, Brunel’s Breath of Air and Numerically Challenged Wickwar are a short walk away.
Bring a pen!