This cache is a Letterbox Hybrid geocache. It is one of a series highlighting interesting individuals from a variety of fields who once lived behind the featured letterboxes. Many thanks to tundra70 for allowing me to contribute to this new series.
The final cache is not at the published co-ordinates but you will need to visit them to get some information that will help in taking you to the final location.
Victor Noble Rainbird was a landscape, street scene, coastal and figure painter in oils and watercolours. He was also a muralist, illustrator and stained glass designer. He was born at North Shields in 1888 and attended evening classes in the town before going to King's College (now Newcastle University) where he distinguished himself, winning several prizes and contributing to a government overseas touring exhbition. He then studied at the Royal College of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts.
At the outbreak of the First World War, he enlisted as a private in the Northumberland Fusiliers and, after serving as a musketry instructor at York, he was sent to serve in France. Following his demobilisation from the Army he returned to North Shields where he worked as a professional artist and exhibited widely including at the North East Coast Exhibition in 1929, the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 1930, and the Royal Academy in 1926 and 1930.
After the War, it is known that he produced a considerable amount of stained glass, the locations of which are mostly now unknown. Two exceptions are a war memorial window at Papa Stour Kirk on the Shetland Islands, and two stained glass windows in Trinity Methodist Church at Allendale, Northumberland.
Between 1917 and 1933, Rainbird lived at 71 West Percy Strett and earned a living as a prolific artist painting locally, and during visits to France and Belgium. During this period, he also turned his hand to illustrating, for example, to drawings for The North Shields Lighthouses by Madeleine Hopes Dodd in 1928. Rainbird's largest project was a 1,000 square feet wall mural at the Ship Hotel, Monkseaton. Unfortunately, the current location, or history, of this painting is unknown.
In his later years, he moved to Sunderland where he died in 1936 at the relatively young age of 47.
To calculate the final co-ordinates:
From the blue plaque, cross the road and almost directly opposite you will see a pair of identical water manhole covers. In the centre of each cover there is a horizontal string of letters and numbers HCVWXE (same for both). Ignore the letters and note the numbers.
Now head approximately east for about 100 feet to the corner of the street and, on the post there is a vertical string of a letter and numbers SWVYZ. Ignore the letter and again note the numbers.
Checksum for V to Z = 10
The final co-ordinates for the cache are: N55 00.(W+X)(V+Y)(W+X+Z) W001 26.(W+Y+Z)(X+Z)(W+X+Z)
The cache does contain a small stamp which isn't a trade item. Please leave in the cache.