Our second clue sent treasure hunters to the red telephone box on Station Road, where the code was hiding beneath the receiver of the old, rather forlorn telephone.

Try to cast your mind back to the days before smartphones, Wi-Fi and instant messages — a strange and distant age when making a call meant finding loose change and leaving your house to find a phone box and hoping nobody else was already inside.

At their peak, around 60,000 of the classic red K6 telephone boxes were dotted across the UK — roughly one for every thousand people. Handy, charming, and just a little bit draughty.

Their design has a wonderfully odd backstory too. These coffin-shaped call boxes were inspired by the mausoleum of Sir John Soane’s wife at St Pancras Old Church. How architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott leapt from “memorial monument” to “public telephone box” is anyone’s guess — but he did make sure the early models were suitable for the well-dressed caller, with a tall domed roof that could accommodate a top hat. After all, one must remain properly attired when calling an Uber.

The clue offered two rather cheeky nudges: “receive the code” pointed straight to the telephone receiver, while “the railway’s road” steered everyone towards Station Road. 

Simple enough once you know where to look — but don’t get too comfortable, treasure seekers. Things are about to become far more mischievous.