December 30, 1953

Stalls in Newark Market Place cannot be dismantled more quickly than they are at the present time, the town council was told on Monday.

The markets committee reported that it had considered a recommendation that stalls should be removed more quickly after market days to facilitate parking in the centre of the town.

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"Back where we were," was the position regarding the future of the Beaumond Cross reported to Newark Town Council by the highways committee.

Both the cross and a new concrete lamp standard remain where they are on Lombard Street but when one eventually moves it will probably be the ancient monument and not the modern lamp.

The committee reported that the Minister of Transport had confirmed the view that the moving of the cross by a few yards would not permit the provision of a roundabout at the crossroads.

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A rat caused a three-wheel car to overturn on Sunday night. Nobody was hurt in the accident which took place on the North Road near Kelham sugar factory. It is believed the accident happened when the car driver swerved to avoid a rat which ran across the road.

December 23, 1953

Full of fun and cake, children were waited anxiously for the appearance of Punch and Judy.

They were among the 200 children entertained to a Christmas party by British Glues and Chemicals Ltd and Croda Ltd in the Castle Ballroom, Newark, last week.

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Like the Christmas tree now standing on the down platform at Newark Northgate Station, the tree at a party for railwaymen's children on Saturday came from the shores of Loch Ness. Both were obtained from friends by the stationmaster of Northgate Station, Mr R. M. Shand, who is a Scot - though not from the Loch Ness area.

He is an Aberdonian but his last station, before coming to Newark two years ago, was in the West Highlands. The tree on the platform was erected on Wednesday, and is lit every evening.

Gifts left at the tree by travelling public are to be distributed to children's homes in Newark, and any money raised will go to the Railway Service orphanage at Derby.

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State control or no state control, Newark's ancient seat of learning, the Magnus Grammar School, remains a Christian School, the headmaster (Dr N. Clayton) assured former pupils at the annual dinner of the Old Magnusians' Association at the Clinton Arms Hotel.

December 16, 1953

Young cooks, pupils of Newark Mount School, seemed pleased with their preparations for Christmas when the Advertiser visited. Not to be outdone, students of Newark Technical College domestic science classes exhibited their Christmas cakes on Saturday morning.

Many of the icing designs excelled these shown last year and there were especially outstanding exhibits.

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This is the time Post Office officials have been preparing for - when they expect the real Christmas rush to begin. In Newark about 90 additional temporary workers will be taken on to help with the flood of cards and parcels.

Of these, 48 will be on letter deliveries alone - three on each of the rounds organised the Newark Post Office.

Between 20 and 25 will be engaged on indoor work like sorting, and the rest will be manning a temporary parcels depot set up in the Drill Hall in Sherwood Avenue.

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Wood's the name and wood's the medium which distinguishes much about 174 London Road, New Balderton, from the average home.

Sixty-nine-year-old Mr John T. Wood, who retired four years ago from his job as a coachpainter, has not been inactive since, and the bungalow which he and his wife occupy - he built it himself - contains many articles of furniture which bear witness to his unusual skill at woodwork.

Practically everything in one room is home-made, and the most striking piece of furniture is an ornate oak settle which has a carved willow-pattern seat with a design copied from one in Claypole church.

The settle contains panels depicting cricket and skating, cycling and the ballet, all-in wrestling, a carpenter working at a wheel, and a village smithy. The panels are made of sycamore and mahogany.

December 9, 1953

The school, now in its fourth year, was still expanding, said the headmaster of Sconce Hills County Secondary School, Mr R. W. Bond, in his annual report.

At the school speech day Mr Bond said that the number of pupils had reached 372. Five new classrooms are under construction and by speech day next year a hall will have been built.

Kitchen equipment was installed in January and by the New Year it is expected to be catering for 85 children a day.

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Newark Conservatives have moved into their new headquarters - the historic building in Newark Market Place where at one time Byron's poems were published and where, during and since the last war, Newark Food Office was housed.

The extensive offices and clubrooms, decorated in pastel shades, were opened by Captain Charles Waterhouse, MP for south west Leicester and president of the East Midlands provincial area of the Conservative Association.

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Seat slashing school children who, it is alleged, have been damaging upholstery of the train that brings them to Newark in the mornings may be in for shock.

So much damage has been caused recently that British Railways have now complained to Nottinghamshire education committee and the county transport officer is to make an investigation.

Only last Wednesday it was found when the 8.18am train from Nottingham arrived at Newark Castle Station that buttons had been cut from the upholstery and seats had been slashed with knives.

December 2 1953

Cheap food is impossible without farm subsidies, 100 farmers were told by Mr J. W. Rowland, principal of Kesteven Farm Institute, Caythorpe, at the annual dinner of Collingham Farmers' Club at Collingham Memorial Hall. Mr Rowland said it was now more possible for farmers than any other industry to meet rising labour and overhead costs and at the same time reduce the price of their product.

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With its long awaited new out-patients' department complete, Newark General Hospital has other improvement schemes pending, it was hinted at the opening of the new department yesterday afternoon.

The chairman of Sheffield Regional Hospital Board, Sir Basil Gibson, said: "I think in the old voluntary days this extension would have been built sooner.

"It was not until something had been said in the papers that we could get the ministry to have it done."

The article to which he referred was a special report in the Advertiser. Sir Basil agreed that the new department had been badly needed. Newark Hospital, he said, served a population of about 45,000 and there were 700 new attendances a month at the outpatients' department.

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Five steaming dishes of macaroni cheese were proudly carried into the hall of Newark Technical College, representing the work of five Newark girl finalists who hoped to cook their way to fame in the Youth In The Kitchen contest, organised by the British Gas Council.

The success of the winners means a passage into the county finals to be held at Nottingham. The winners were Beryl Swinn, Ann Townrow and Jean Price.