Mansion House, Doncaster (Virtual Reward 4.0) Virtual Cache
Mansion House, Doncaster (Virtual Reward 4.0)
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Difficulty:
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(virtual)
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The Mansion House
Doncaster’s Mansion House is one of just three to remain in England,
the others being located in York and London.
The Mansion House, High Street, Doncaster City Centre
The City of Doncaster
A Roman fort was established in the 1st century AD, at a crossing point of the River Don. This gave an alternative land route when travelling between York and Lincoln along Ermine Street, which avoided a boat crossing of the Humber. The town of 'Danvm' came into being at this important staging post.
The city of 'Cair Daun', mentioned in the 9th century ‘History of the Britons’, is thought to have developed from the Roman town, which became known as the Anglo-Saxon borough of ‘Donneceaster’ (Castle on the Don).
A town charter was granted in 1194 and a market charter in 1248. The location of the town, on the primary route from London to York & Edinburgh and surrounded by rich agricultural land, allowed it to prosper over the centuries. Industry, such as coal mining and railway engineering followed, giving a dramatic rise in the borough’s population.
After several unsuccessful applications to become one, Doncaster was granted city status, as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and became the ‘City of Doncaster’ in November 2022.
The Mansion House
As a wealthy town, there was a requirement for civic entertainment, so land was acquired in 1738, to build a permanent venue on the site of a former Friary. Mansion Houses existed in York, London and Newcastle, as both mayoral residences and entertainment venues.
The building was designed in the Palladian style by James Paine, who was appointed as architect in 1746. Construction work was completed in 1748, at a cost of £8000 and the Mansion House was officially opened the following year.
The Mansion House was extended in the early 19th century and has since remained largely unchanged. It is now a Grade 1 listed building, having original interior features in rooms which are occasionally opened for public viewing. Although it has been used as a mayoral residence in the past, the Mansion House is now used only for ceremonial purposes and civic functions.
The Cache
This is a 'Virtual Cache', so has no container to find, or log to sign - you just need to visit the location and complete a couple of simple tasks, in order to log the cache as a 'find'. There is no requirement to enter the building itself, as the actions can be completed from High Street in the city centre, just a few minutes' walk from the train or bus station.
To log the cache as a find, you need to do the following:
1) Add a photo to your online log, showing either of the options below:
Yourself, in front of the Mansion House
Your GPSR/phone, or your caching name, with the Mansion House as a backdrop
(Small group photos are OK, but should show all parties - if in doubt, do one each!)
2) Go to the right hand side of the Mansion House frontage.
Find the small, rectangular cast-metal plate - here:
The plate's inscription has three letters, with two words below.
Message us with the plate's contents, when submitting your log
[Please don't include the info or a photo of the plate in your log!]
Although the cache can obviously be logged later,
the log date should correspond to that of your visit
LOGS WHICH DO NOT MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DELETED.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache.
Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[See description for 'Additional Logging Requirements']