Now that so many cachers have completed the Knaphill History Lessons, I have decided to put a final examination in place so that the class swots can get a qualification - an 'Oh-no Level', if you like. Revision will of course help, but as is the way of exams, questions always come up on subjects that weren't covered in class...
The earliest reference to Knaphill dates back to 1225, but little of historical note seems to have disturbed the village for the next 500 years. The 18th century saw the establishment of the first garden nurseries and, at about the same time, the foundation of the Knaphill Brickworks. The village developed further with the construction of the Basingstoke Canal in the 1790s and the London & South Western Railway in the 1830s.
In Victorian times, the local area gained the reputation as the home of the mad, the bad and the sad! The 'mad' could be found in Brookwood Hospital, the second County Asylum, in Knaphill. The 'bad' were held in the Woking Invalid and Women's Prisons, built on the outskirts of Knaphill. And the 'sad' were the mourners at Brookwood Cemetery and the nearby Crematorium in St Johns, the first custom-built crematorium in the country.
The Invalid Prison was converted into Inkerman Barracks at the end of the 19th century, but although there are still nurseries around Knaphill, the brickfields, prisons, barracks and hospital have all closed. Knaphill now struggles to find its identity amongst the sprawl of 'greater Woking', but there are still a few reminders of its heritage: the former prison officers' quarters in Raglan Road and Wellington Terrace; the preserved buildings and chapel on the site of the old hospital; and the world-famous azalea that bears the village's name.
To find the cache you will need to answer the following questions - here.
The cache is hidden in the middle of the village, so extreme stealth will be required!
Congratulations on the FTF to Frycrt17.