Location: Bardwell is located about ten miles north-east of Bury St Edmunds between the villages of Ixworth and Stanton. According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is "Bearda's Spring" or brim/bank of spring and the River Blackbourne passes about half a mile west of the village.
Mills: Until the 20th century there were two working mills in Bardwell, a watermill and a windmill. The watermill has been converted into a house whilst the windmill which is a tower mill, built in 1829 is in the process of restoration to a working mill again and is open for visitors.
Church: Bardwell has many old buildings including its medieval parish church - the church of St Peter & St Paul. In the churchyard is the grave of Henry Addison (VC), born in Bardwell in 1821 he joined the British Army and won the Victoria Cross for his heroic actions in the Indian Mutiny. He returned safely to Bardwell and died in 1887 aged 66 years.
There are eight bells that hang the church of St Peter and Paul, contrary the pub name of the six bells in the village, with the largest weighing 11cwt - 2qr - 27lb. The oldest bell, being the 7th, was cast in 1713 by Thomas Newman. They were restored and two new bells added in 2009 by Hayward Mills. They are rung regularly by an enthusiastic group of ringers.
Amenities: Amenities within the village of Bardwell include a post office and two pubs. Also the village boasts a small Primary School, a Playing Field used by thriving Cricket and Football Clubs, and the Tithe Barn which is used as the village hall.
Village Sign: The sign depicts the Coat of Arms of Sir William de Bardwell whose family took its name from the village and who, as a great benifiary, helped build many sections of the Parish Church. As a token of his standing in the village his image is depicted in stained glass and can be seen in the window found in the north wall of the nave. He died in 1434 and following his wishes, was buried in the church.
The Cache: To find the cache you will need to stand at the Village Sign and answer these questions:
A = We will remember them. How many slats are there making up this bench?
B = How many miles is it to Knettishall?
C = Authorised Parking Only 07C74714647.
D = The number of miles to Coney Weston x the number of miles to Barningham.
E = The number of benches next to the sign + the number of short posts on the traffic island.
F = The number of nuts holding the the village sign on to its post + the number of metal spikes coming out of the top of the framing decoration.
The cache can be found at: N 052 19.ABC E 000 50.DEF
Please recover well as this can be a busy area.
Happy Caching.
If anybody would like to expand this series please do. I would just ask that you let Smokeypugs know first so they can keep track of the Village Sign numbers and names to avoid duplication.