Floor Games [ #5 Hampstead Writers Series ]
About the Author
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer. Prolific in many genres, he wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, history, popular science, satire, biography, and autobiography. Wells' science fiction novels are so well regarded that he has been called the "father of science fiction".
H. G. Wells in Hampstead
In August 1909 the author H.G. Wells and his wife, Jane, together with their two sons, George Philip (known as Gip) and Frank Richard, moved in to the terraced property at number 17 Church Row, Hampstead.
They moved here from the much larger Spade House, their purpose built mansion that he had constructed in 1901, and which overlooked Sandgate near Folkstone.
Despite its numerous bedrooms, 17 Church Row must have seemed decidedly cramped compared to what they had been used to over the previous years.
Their move here was intended as a fresh start which came about as a result of a particularly tumultuous period in their decidedly unconventional marriage, because, immediately prior to their arrival in Hampstead - and also during their time here - the 43 year old Wells was embroiled in an affair with a 21 year old woman who, just four months after their arrival, would give birth to Wells's daughter on 31st December 1909.
When initially viewing the house, they had not noticed the proximity of the large overspill burial ground of nearby St. John's Church, which was located just a short distance from their front door.
They thus had to contend with a constant stream of horse drawn funeral processions solemnly filing past in the street outside, just a few feet from their front window.
In Hampstead, Wells immersed himself in writing the book that would become his greatest comic novel The History of Mr. Polly, although, as he later recalled, he found himself in such an emotional turmoil that he wrote much of it "weeping bitterly like a frustrated child.".
His other books, written or published during his time here, were Tono-Bungay; Ann Veronica; The Sleeper Awakes; The New Machiavelli and Marriage.
Wells was soon finding the house far too cramped for his liking, and he took a small flat in Candover Street, off Great Portland Street.
Floor Games in Hampstead
A popular form of entertainment, both for himself and the boys, was the "floor games" that they liked to play in the schoolroom and in the garden.
When he included these games in his book The New Machiavelli, the publisher Frank Palmer commissioned him to write a book on the subject and the light-hearted volume Floor Games, was duly published in December 1911.
Standing outside the brilliant-white exterior of 17 Church Row, you can picture Wells, Gip, Frank and their numerous visitors crawling around the floors and garden playing the games that are jovially described in its pages.
Indeed, its chatty tone makes delightful reading, even today.
Section one of the book, for example, begins with the following wonderfully whimsical instruction: The jolliest indoor games for boys and girls demand a floor, and the home that has no floor upon which games may be played falls so far short of happiness. It must be a floor covered with linoleum or cork carpet, so that toy soldiers and such-like will stand up upon it, and of a color and surface that will take and show chalk marks; the common green-colored cork carpet without a pattern is the best of all.
Or, how about this delightful gem concerning uses for the floor: I will now glance rather more shortly at some other very good uses of the floor, the boards, the bricks, the soldiers, and the railway system - that pentagram for exorcising the evil spirit of dullness from the lives of little boys and girls. And first, there is a kind of lark we call Funiculars. There are times when islands cease somehow to dazzle, and towns and cities are too orderly and uneventful and cramped for us, and we want something - something to whizz. Then we say: "Let us make a funicular. Let us make a funicular more than we have ever done. Let us make one to reach up to the table."
No wonder the book has, in recent years, enjoyed a resurgence amongst child psychologists as a model for learning through play.
About the Cache
In honor of H G Wells' work and the period in which the writer lived in Hampstead, we have placed this cache to draw the attention of GeoCachers to this moment in British literary history.
You start your journey in front of former Wells’ flat, at17 Church Row.
To crack this puzzle you will need to answer the following questions in the published coordinates:
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There is a Hampstead Antiquarian and Historical Society sign on the house next door. The number of people mentioned on this sign = A.
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Church Row has a divider between the lanes in this part. On this divider there is a plaque about a tree planted in memory of John Carswell (19CD - 199B).
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On the pavement, there is a metal sign from T. Sampson Ltd. The number of small circles (only internal ones) in this sign = E.
- Across the road you can see a group of 7 houses. Only one of them has the number written in letters instead of numbers. This number is = F.
The final location where our cache is located is:
N51 33.ABC W000 10.DEF
Check sum for all the digits in the final coordinates = 42.
After solving the puzzle, you’ll be looking for a magnetic micro-ish (maybe small) geocache container that contains a log strip and a few surprises. No room for pens, so BYOP.
Please check if the cache is completely closed (listen to the click) and replace it at the same location so that the hint can always remain accurate.
About Hampstead_Twins
We are Hampstead locals and have recently discovered GeoCaching activity. As we are delighted with the place where we live and with the stories we find in every corner of this locality, we decided to share some curious facts about our neighbourhood and encourage GeoCaching activity in the region. We hope you enjoy.
If you found any errors, had any ideas for improvement while doing the route or even just want to talk with us and encourage more caches like this one, feel free to send us a message. We will respond to everyone as soon as possible. Let’s get in touch.
What’s Next?
This cache is the fifth in a multi series of seven, known as the Hampstead Writers Series. The series is a tribute to the periods of time that famous writers (British or not) lived and contributed with the Hampstead community.
#1 George Orwell - Animal Farm
#2 Julia Donaldson - Stick Man
#3 Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
#4 Agatha Christie - The Mousetrap
#5 H. G. Wells - Floor Games
#6 D. W. Lawrence - The Rainbow
#7 J. B. Priesley - The Good Companions
So, how about trying to find another cache in the heart of Hampstead? Search for any other cache from this series and have fun!