The cache will be found by following a walk around the county town of Lewes collecting clues. Once you have all eight clues you will be able to find the hidden cache after a further short walk. After completing the cache you may wish to carry on the path you are on to the very end where you will be rewarded with a fantastic view.
The starting location for this cache is Lewes Train Station:
N50o 52.233 E000o 00.671
If you travel by car, parking Monday to Saturday in Lewes is very expensive. If you park in Tesco's (free) car park you won't be far from the actual cache and you could treat yourself to a meal there to celebrate your success!
Leave the station and head for the Dripping Pan:
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this is where Lewes Football Club (the Rooks), who were founded in 1885, play their home games
Count the merlons and add the Rooks on the logo (NB Lewes FC have changed their image and have a new logo - if you are looking at the old one then just count the number of merlons) to give you a.
Your next stop will be the remains of St. Pancras Priory (founded in 1076 by William De Warenne and destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in 1538). On your way you can make a small detour to The Mount (said to be the spoil heap from the Dripping Pan):
The Priory is now fully accessible following recent restoration, why not spend some time exploring, there might be a micro somewhere close by.
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At your destination you will find an iron works of a giant helmet which marks the famous battle of Lewes of 1264 (where Simon de Montford defeated Henry III). A plaque says it was presented to the people of Lewes to mark the 700th anniversary of that battle. It was designed by Enzo Plazzotta and was unveiled by the Duke or Norfolk.
There are some letters after the Dukes name, count these to give b.
you
Now walk past the remains of the Priory to your next location (if you walk through Cluny Street, you will come across an archway with gatehouse lodges either side, this is the only remains of Southover Manor, built in 1845):
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Here you will find Anne of Cleeves House (built in 1486 and given to her by her husband King Henry VIII on their divorce in 1540).
The number of this House will give you c (hint the number can be found on the gate to the garden, left of the entrance).
Your next destination is the Southover Grange (built in 1572 by William Newton and boyhood home of Diarist and botanist John Evelyn 1620-1706), well worth a visit to the grounds if you have time, cream teas and ice creams are available in the summer. Notice the old gates on your left to the entrance of Lewes County Grammar School for Girls (founded in 1913 now Western Road Community Primary School):
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This is the base of Keere Street (the street of locksmiths, built in 1272, where the Prince Regent, later to become King George IV, drove a coach and four down the hill for a wager). There is nothing for you to collect here, we just wanted to make sure you walked up this historic street to your next destination, which is:
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Here you will find The Fifteenth Century Bookshop.
On the front of this shop is a sign which tells you how many miles there is to Westminster Bridge. The second digit will give you d. (ie 4d)
Now head down the High Street to Bull House:
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Nothing to collect here, just some interesting historic points to observe. Bull House was the home Thomas Paine (author who lived there between 1768 and 1774, played a part in the American revolution and later the French one and wrote “The Rights of Man”). Opposite you will find Pipe Passage (named after the discovery of a pipe kiln) beside the Freemason’s Hall (erected in 1797, and standing where the West Gate was).
Follow this twitten to:
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This is the Round House, which was once a windmill erected in 1802 near the local Lewes race course (see Cuckoo Bottom cache). It was purchased by authors Leonard and Virginia Woolf but was never lived in by them
If you take the first two figures away from the last two of the date they purchased it, will give you e.
A nice view of Lewes castle can also be seen from this spot on your right. Work was started in 1066 by William de Warenne when the town was given to him by William the conqueror. It was completed 300 years later with the Barbican.
Your next location is a Castle Precinct, a nearby viewpoint:
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Here you can look over the famous battle of Lewes of 1264 (where Simon de Montfort defeated Henry III) from the viewing platform.
Using the information board you find here, take the number of De Montforts soldiers (reds) away from the Royalists forces (blues) and then multiply the result by 2 to give you f.
As you read this information board, behind you is a building known as the Maltings (home to ESCC Records Centre).
Follow the road past the Castle Bowling Green (the castle's former tilting yard, where bowls was first played there since 1640), heading towards the castle. At your next destination:
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You will see two plaques on the wall, one of them mentions the bowling green. Take the year that the society was founded and add all four digits together, then subtract 15 to give you g.
You may wish to visit the Castle before continuing this quest to you penultimate destination, The Pells: N50o 52.639 E000o 00.564
To reach this, you will need to retrace your steps back to the Maltings. Then the walk should take you past the Elephant and Castle Public House (built in 1838 by local brewer Tamplin). Then down past St John sub Castro Church (built in 1839, where the remains of a roman fort were found in the church yard, the Romans left Lewes around 410AD). The Pells is the oldest outdoor swimming pool in the country, a tablet in the wall commemorates the centenary of the pool.
Add the first two digits of the construction year to give you h.
You now have all your co-ordinates to be able to find our cache:
N50o c.dha E000o e.bgf