May 27, 1953

The finishing touches are being added to the new Bowbridge Road garage of W. Gash and Sons of Newark.

In the construction of the garage, pictured, the contractors have used 300,000 bricks, 70 tons of steel, 230 tons of cement and more than 1,500 tons of aggregate.

There is underground storage room for 1,000 gallons of petrol, 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 500 gallons of lubricating oil. The garage will accommodate 24 buses.

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A railwayman with a rope moved two swans off the main railway line near Lincoln Road bridge, on Sunday before they could delay any trains.

Foreman ganger Mr Frank Dunsmore, of Wright Street, Newark, was on duty when he saw the swans half-a-mile along the track. As he got nearer he could see there was a whole family - two swans and their six cygnets.

"I passed my line round each bird, under its wings, and just coaxed it over the rails and off the track," said Mr Dunsmore.

Another man picked up the cygnets from between the rails.

The swans were shooed along Northgate and Spital Row to the Trent. They jumped off a high wall into the river, and the cygnets fell in after them.

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Newark was lucky to escape having a prefabricated aluminium school on Winthorpe Road estate, Newark district education committee heard.

A prefab school was sanctioned for the Winthorpe Road area, but was withdrawn from the county education committee's building programme when the minister of education called a halt to all school buildings for economic reasons.

Now, after pressure by the chairman of Newark district education committee, Ald J. A. Markwick, direct to the minister, a school is back in the building programme for 1954-5. And it will be an ordinary school of bricks and mortar.
 

May 20, 1953

A bedside shopping service for patients in Newark Hospital was launched when the matron, Miss E. S. R. Beamish, bought the first bar of chocolate from the new Women's Voluntary Services trolley shop.

This Advertiser newsphoto shows matron making her purchase from Mrs P. Wetherill (left). Between them is Mrs R. C. Anderson, hospital canteen organiser.

The trolley service is an adjunct to the WVS out-patients' canteen which has been running for five years.

Mrs C. E. Parlby, WVS centre organiser for Newark, said the canteen and trolley staff would always try to emulate the hospital staff's example of service and cleanliness.

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Five times firemen from six stations, assisted by Swinderby RAF personnel and forestry workers, halted a blaze which leapt through the tops of 40ft high birch and smaller trees in Stapleford Moor plantation on Wednesday. Five times the edges of the flames crept behind them, forcing retreat until the sixth and successful line of defence was established.

The fire charred nearly 200 acres of trees and grass, destroying in six hours years of work and planning by Mr V. B. Hall, forestry officer, and his 32 workmen.

The Newark Fire service was joined with units from Lincoln, Southwell, Tuxford, Collingham, Brant Broughton and water carrying lorries from Swinderby.

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More than 300 Catholics attended the first weekday evening Mass at Holy Trinity RC Church, Parliament Street, Newark, on Thursday - Ascension Day.

Evening Masses on Holy Days of Obligation have only recently being sanctioned, and Father J. B. Farmer announced on Sunday that the first was held in Newark on Thursday evening. "I was surprised to see the church packed," he said afterwards.

Evening Mass is for the benefit of men who cannot attend a morning service.
 

May 13, 1953

The loudspeaker commentary on events in the main ring at Newark Agricultural Society's show was by Mr George Whyley who, as secretary of the Nottinghamshire branch of the National Farmers' Union, is an expert at putting agriculture's point of view to the townsman.

Mr Whyley explained and interpreted everything so that spectators Ñ most of them townspeople - should know what was happening: why this jumper had eight faults, why that bull was beef champion.

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Reference to the secondary modern school for Collingham was made at last week's meeting of the county education committee.

It was reported by the committee that approval had already been given to the reorganisation of contributory schools, to take effect when the Collingham secondary modern school is opened in the adapted Women's Land Army hostel premises.

The council approved in principle the closure of Brough Church of England school, and the transfer of the pupils to Collingham junior and infants' schools when the Collingham secondary modern school was ready for use.

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The new clock of St Lawrence's Church, Norwell, was dedicated on Monday.

The clock has been provided by the combined subscriptions of parishioners and a friend of Norwell church - Mrs Hole, of Caunton Manor, who has worshipped at the church for more than 30 years.

In an address at the dedication service, the Bishop of Southwell, Dr F. R. Barry, said he was astonished at the amount of money raised to maintain, restore and beautify ancient churches.
 

May 6, 1953

Miss F. A. Wade, for more than 40 years, a teacher at Christ Church Infants' School, Victoria Street, Newark, was presented with a gold watch on Thursday to mark her retirement.

The Vicar of Christ Church, the Rev C. B. Bardsley, made the presentation on behalf of the managers, staff, parents and children.

Penelope Richards presented a bouquet to Miss Wade.

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Canon G. W. Clarkson, the Vicar of Newark, and his sister Mrs D. M. Braithwaite, escaped in their nightclothes when fire damaged the Skegness hotel in which they were sleeping on Thursday.

The flames were first discovered in a housemaid's room across the corridor from the bedrooms occupied by Canon Clarkson and Mrs Braithwaite.

"Our clothes were all soaked and filthy and we had to spend the morning in our nightclothes." said the vicar afterwards.

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Anti-flood precautions between Newark and Nottingham will not lead to worse flooding at Newark, a Trent River board engineer assured Newark Rotary Club on Monday.

Mr H. Cheetham of Bleesley, assistant chief engineer to the board said: "Newark is happier in one circumstance than Nottingham. There, buildings have gone right up to the banks on both sides of the river. In Newark, luckily, there is plenty of spread to the north of the town."