Hastings 'West Hill' Series
View south of the West Hill from
Emmanuel Church tower roof. Beachy Head on far right, East Hill on
the left.
Number 1 - Church Micro 351 Emmanuel
Church Hastings
This series of
caches takes you around the well-known and popular West Hill area
of Hastings, and if taken in order the series will take you along a
distance a little less than 1.5 miles. Of course the caches can be
done as individuals or indeed any order!
The West Hill series consist of of the following
caches:
1
- Church Micro 351 Emmanuel Church Hastings (link -
GC230M0)
2 - West Hill Still (link -
GC232Z2)
3 - West Hill Wallinger’s
(link -
GC232ZR)
4 - West Hill Ascent (link -
GC2330B)
5 - West Hill William (link -
GC2330T)
6 - West Hill Foul Aroma (link -
GC23319)
7 - West Hill Treasure (link -
GC2331W)
#1 (Church
Micro 351) and #4 (West Hill Ascent) are both very
easy to get to and seem quite popular. If you're on the way to the
caves then #5 (West Hill William) is ideal, as you'll most
likely walk right by it.
The others are spread around, and if all visited will have taken
you around the area of Hastings sited between the Old Town and the
new town known as the West Hill.
To do this series
you may want to park in Priory Road / Croft Road / Collier Road as
these roads would be a good start for a circular route (if you
attempt the bonus cache), and parking is free here. There are
plenty of other streets around that also provide free parking in
the area.
You will require
information from two sign boards, one is near the recycling centre
(approximately N 50° 51.596' E 0° 35.339'), the other is titled
‘William The Conqueror Trail’ and is situated at the
start of the path leading to the caves (approximately N 50°
51.462’ E 0° 35.355’). You may want to note down any
names with telephone numbers from the Community Notice Board near
the recycling centre (or if you have a digital camera/phone - take
a pic to refer to later).
Bonus Cache
Each cache contains a single co-ordinate digit (A, B, C,
X, Y, Z)
that will help lead you to the final bounty, which can be found
at:
N 50°
51.ABC’ E 0°
35.XYZ
To
check you have all the correct digits perform this
calculation...
(A x B x C) ÷
(X + Y + Z) =
6
The West Hill is
very often an extremely popular place at certain times of the year,
and all throughout summer, so discretion and skill will be required
retrieving many of these caches at ‘peak’ times.
None of the caches have a pen so please bring one with
you...
Cache
specific information...
One of the Church
Micro series - this cache is a black plastic container, a little
smaller than a 35mm film canister. It is straightforward, easy to
reach and has adjacent parking for the lazy!
The cache is placed inside the church grounds, but permission is
granted for geocachers to enter and wander around. (Please close
any gates you open, thanks!)
Please be aware of muggles walking by and looking down at your
activities.
Look under the lid of this cache for the clue!
A little info
about Emmanuel Church gleaned from the web...
Built by A W
Jeffery and W Skiller, reported in 1874 in Building News to be
under construction at a cost of £4060, paid by Mrs Sophie Mendham.
The construction commenced in 1873 and is substantial, built of
random cut ragstone with lancets, which are single in the aisles
and grouped in the clerestory and east end. A south east tower has
big bell-openings and a flat battlemented top with pinnacles. A
baptistery projects in the middle of the south aisle, with a
conical roof and shafts inside at each angle. The interior is faced
with brick and the rear-arches of the clerestory are shafted,
whilst the capitals of the arcades are decorated with bands of
nailhead. There is a chancel arch, but the chancel is not deep for
the church had Evangelical sympathies. A west porch was added in
1886 by W H and J D Murray, and in 1893 a lower west extension, the
arch from the nave, had a gallery built over. After war damage in
1942, especially to the north west corner, it was repaired to
original.
Font: Squat square bowl with projecting rounded corners.
Glass: (Two north lancets) J Hardman and Co, designed by D B
Taunton, 1932.
Pulpit: Dated 1909. Marble with arcaded sides.
Reredos: Arcaded marble with the Ten Commandments etc.
Snippets from the
'Hastings News' newspaper... (again, gleaned from the web)
“Mrs Mendham, sister of the Rev WT Turner of Ore, laid a
memorial stone at the new Emmanuel Church, on the corner of Priory
Road and Plynlimmon Road, which she had paid for. John Howell was
the builder, Jeffery and Skiller the architects. The church was
consecrated on 22 September 1874 (06/06/1873 edition).”
“The local benefactor Mrs Mendham died on 21 May at her home
in Uplands, St Leonards, aged 87. She had been very charitable,
paying for the construction of Emmanuel Church in Priory Road, the
vicarage and the wages of the vicar. The church opened in 1874 and
cost £7,000. She also paid £650 for the recent enlargement. In
addition, she gave £800 to the Fishermen’s Institute - on the
corner of Vicarage Road and Plynlimmon Road is the Mendham Hall,
earlier called the Mendham Memorial Schools (26/05/1893
edition).”
Emmanuel is an
evangelical Anglican church with members from diverse walks of
life. All visitors are very welcome! For more info please
visit www.emmanuelhastings.org.uk.
If anyone would
like to expand the Church Micro series please do. Could you please
let
Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the
church numbers and names to avoid duplication.