[ #6 Hampstead Writers Series ]
The Rainbow
The Rainbow is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence, first published by Methuen & Co. in 1915. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family living in Nottinghamshire, focusing particularly on the individual's struggle to growth and fulfilment within the confining strictures of English social life. Lawrence's 1920 novel Women in Love is a sequel to The Rainbow.
The book spans a period of roughly 65 years from the 1840s to 1905, and shows how the love relationships of the Brangwens change against the backdrop of the increasing industrialisation of Britain.
The critic Harold Bloom listed The Rainbow in his The Western Canon (1994) as one of the books that have been important and influential in Western culture.
In 1999, the Modern Library ranked The Rainbow forty-eighth on a list of the 100 best novels in English of the 20th century.
About the Author
David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation and industrialization, while championing sexuality, vitality and instinct. Several of his novels, Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, were the subject of censorship trials for their radical portrayals of sexuality and use of explicit language.
Lawrence's opinions and artistic preferences earned him a controversial reputation; he endured contemporary persecution and public misrepresentation of his creative work throughout his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile that he described as a "savage enough pilgrimage". At the time of his death, he had been variously scorned as tasteless, avant-garde, and a pornographer who had only garnered success for erotica; however, English novelist and critic E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as "the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation". Later, English literary critic F. R. Leavis also championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness.
D. H. Lawrence in Hampstead
Lawrence first visited West Hampstead in 1908; his aunt Ada’s relations - the Hungers - lived at Hill Crest, Ardwick Road, and Lawrence stayed with them more than once. Louie Burrows, too, stayed with the Hungers in 1911.
Lawrence was taken to central Hampstead by Ford Madox Hueffer, and it was here that he was introduced to many of the figures of literary London: Ernest Rhys (48 West Heath Drive), H. G. Wells (17 Church Row), and Rachel Annand Taylor, while staying with the Hungers.
From 1900 to 1912, Frieda (with whom he was to share the rest of his life) was regularly in Hampstead, staying with her children at her parents in law’s house at 40 Well Walk. She may well have got to know Ernest and Dollie Radford via the Weekleys, since they were nearby at number 32. Dollie, a poet and playwright, was to become a loyal friend of the Lawrences.
In the summer of 1915, Lawrence and Frieda took their first London lodgings at 1 Byron Villas in the Vale of Health. Frieda first moved in alone, then Lawrence joined her, and they stayed there until the end of the year.
When they returned to London in 1917, having been exiled from Cornwall, they spent a week staying with Dollie Radford at 32 Well Walk, four doors from where Frieda used to live with her in-laws. In 1923, Frieda lived in a flat in the Carswells’ house at 110 Heath Street, and was joined there by Lawrence.
Hampstead is where Lawrence wrote his 1923 essays on England, saw Murry and Dorothy Brett, and went to the Café Royal for his ‘last supper’ with friends before returning to New Mexico. Lawrence and Frieda left Hampstead on 23rdJanuary 1924.
On 28th September 1926, it was from 30 Willoughby Road, Hampstead (where Lawrence and Frieda had lived since 16th September in lodgings found for them by Mark Gertler) that Lawrence spent his last night in England, before leaving the country forever.
About the Cache
In honor of D. H. Lawrence’s 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.
The initial coordinates will set you in front of former Lawrence’s family house, on Byron Villas.
To crack this multi you will need to answer the following questions in the published coordinates:
- The number of the street light across the street = A.
- Still across the street, you can see a sign with black letters and a yellow background containing a capital letter and four numbers. The number that is found alone, at the bottom = B.
- Now you can see a sign indicating the direction of “HEATH VILLAS, SPENCER HOUSE...”. The sum of the number of the letters in the third line = C.
- The blue heritage plaque says that Lawrence lived here in 191D.
- Again in the sign indicating the direction of “HEATH VILLAS, SPENCER HOUSE...”. The sum of all numbers appearing in this sign is = E.
- A - C = 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 shiny bison.
BYOP, the cache has only a log strip for you to sign your find, but no pen/pencil.
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 sixth 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. H. 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!