Braidwood Court House
Despite being over a century old, it is hard to believe that this was not the original Court House!
Braidwood's first courthouse was constructed in 1837 by Dr Thomas Braidwood Wilson and was replaced by the present one in 1900!
The last time that a court sitting took place in the building was around 1980; since that time the courthouse has come to house the police station and various other government offices. It is understood that the original courthouse's well is located under the present courthouse floor, the original building having stood closer to the road. The building is of Federation Free style design and is constructed in brick (stretcher bond on an English bond base). Decoration includes roughcast render and exposed brick quoins and surrounds to openings. The slate roof is a complex hipped type with vents, and chimneys are decorated with strapwork. Symmetrical in design, the facade has a wide Classical portico, slate steps and Doric columns, and a masonry balustrade parapet. The building's wings each have a porch entrance and Federation arched windows. Windows are mainly sashes. Inside, the courtroom still has its original furnishings and fittings, including a coffered ceiling with pressed metal panels and console brackets. There is also a marble fireplace and a castellated fireplace. At the rear there is the former exercise yard and a detached cell block now used for storage. Several mature trees grow in the grounds, including a pair of weeping cypresses at the front entrance to the site. Of further note are the large timber gates and picket fence on a granite base. There is also a flag pole inside the gates.
This Cache
The listed coordinates will take you to the front of Braidwood's former Court House. It is a great building to come admire, set back off the road it is worth entering the gates to have a closer inspection! You will find a foundation stone on the right hand side of the entrance, set into the brick wall.
From the Stone:
A = Number of letters underlined
B = Number of digits on the stone (consider each single digit)
C = Number of letters in the fourth line
D = Number of words in the first line
E = The last digit on the stone
F = The number of times "N" appears on the stone
G = The second digit on the stone minus the first digit on the stone minus the third digit on the stone
H = Fifth Line, Second Word, Second Letter (Convert letter to a digit, where A=1, B=2…J=0)
The cache is located at:
S35 2(G+1).HDA E149 4C.(F+1)B(E+3)
Checksum: S29 E40