The above co-ordinates take you to Crofton village sign. In his History of Kent, written at the end of the 18th century, Edward Hasted describes Crofton as lying in the middle of woods, and notes that it was “said to have been once a parish of itself, and to have been destroyed by fire.”
On the sign are images of Bishop Odo, strawberries, Hadrian and an oak. Regarding the Roman connection, Crofton Roman Villa (near Orpington station) is the only villa open to the public in Greater London. It was inhabited from about AD 140 to 400 and was the centre of a large farming estate. The strawberries highlight the area’s former importance for fruit growing, whilst Bishop Odo used to own the manor of Crofton at the time of the Domesday Book.
In respect of the oak, there used to be an oak tree, known as the Crofton Oak, standing at the junction of Crofton Avenue and Crofton Road. It was many 100s of years old and was a local landmark. One day it was hit by a furniture lorry and cut down very soon after by the council. It is understood that the busy road junction and the fact the tree was “in the way” fuelled speculation that this was no ordinary accident.
To locate the non-hanging bison cache you need to go to the village sign and consider the year ABCD that the Crofton Residents’ Association was founded and the year EFGH that the local landmark was destroyed. Because of nearby caches, the cache is a short walk away at:
N51 22.(F-D)(A-E)(G-E)
E000 04.C(B-A)(G-D).
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<strong><font color="green">If anybody would like to expand this series please do. I would just ask that you let <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=52cc3744-888f-4b29-a97b-2b14c01b853d&wid=37b539c6-894c-42d6-bbb6-d2bbd78b220c&ds=2">Smokeypugs</a> know first so they can keep track of the Village Sign numbers and names to avoid duplication.</font></strong><br />