November 24, 1954

Probably the longest load ever carried on the roads of England stalled traffic in Newark on Sunday.

In two sections, a 130ft boiler chimney of welded steel was hauled through the town at about 2pm on its way from Newcastle to an industrial plant in the south.

The longer section was 90ft giving, with the towing unit, an overall length of more than 110ft.

As it came over the Trent Bridge it took the Keep Left sign island on the correct side - and stuck fast.

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The Lincoln to Nottingham train drew in to Newark Castle Station on Sunday evening, except that it did not draw in quite far enough.

The tail end remained clear of the platform. The guard on the platform decided, for the convenience of passengers, to have the train drawn forward a little farther.

He told a porter, who gave the appropriate signal. Or so he thought. The porter, fairly new to his job, had in fact given the 'right away' and off puffed the train.

The guardless train was eventually halted at Rolleston Junction. But what of the trainless guard? He was rushed to Rolleston in a taxi.

And what of the tail-end passengers who had waited in vain for Newark's platform to come within stepping distance? They came home by the same taxi.

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Children are at last realising that the policeman is their friend, said Mr E. H. Ashton, presiding at a meeting of Newark Road Safety Council on Monday.

Mr A. W. Neal had paid tribute to the courtesy and kindness shown to children by police officers at Beaumond Cross.

"I see them from my shop," said Mr Neal.

"It is a great thing for children to see a friendly face first thing in the morning."

November 17, 1954

Fourteen pupils of the Newark School of Ballet under the direction of Nina Dolgova, were successful in the recent examinations of Association of Russian Ballet.

The successful pupils were June Land, Christine Frost, Mavis Price, Gilda Marshall, Wendy Wood, Denise Mulhouse, Janice Chilton, Pearl Wood, Yvonne Ramage, Diane Rowling, Linda Luff, Judy Lees, Barbara Hudson and Rosalind Hannah.

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Newark Post Office's detector van, looking for users of radio and television sets, has begun its round of the Newark area.

Monday was spent in the Southwell district, and on that day six licences were taken out at Southwell - an unusually large number.

Since it was announced in the Press that the detector would be on the roads the number of licences taken out rose in a week from 31 to 54 for radio and from 12 to 16 for television.

The Post Office authorities emphasised that they are not anxious to bring prosecutions but to ensure regular payment for licences.

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The needle on the wheel of good fortune is still pointing Newark's way - Richard Burkitt of Hawton Road, Newark, has won £3 3s.

And Richard is only six. To him the win is as exciting as if it had been thousands of pounds.

It is more than eight weeks since Richard was taken to the Battle of Britain At Home at Newton RAF Station.

There they released toy balloons, their names attached on a tag. Richard's balloon floated farther than any other - it was found in Dahlenburg, Germany, 480 miles away.

November 10, 1954

In spite of heavy rain at the weekend there has been no serious flooding in the Newark district.

It was stated at Newark Dockyard yesterday that the water level in the Trent and the Devon was 'a bit abnormal' and the water rose rapidly.

"But there has not been any flooding worth worrying about."

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For years Mr W. Parkin and his family of Main Street, Sutton-on-Trent, have been unknowingly sharing their kitchen with a gravestone - a stone that belongs in a churchyard three miles away.

It was not until Mr Parkin had part of the brick floor of the kitchen taken up so that a well below could be filled in, that it was discovered the stone slab covering the well was in fact a gravestone.

Clearly defined, the inscription could be read: "Sacred to the memory of John Marshall late of Skegby, who departed this life on the 22nd day of April in the Year of Our Lord 1837."

Neither the registers nor the family history can throw any light on the problem of how, when and why the gravestone was moved to Sutton-on-Trent.

November 3 1954

This Advertiser newsphoto shows more than 300 of the girls who attended last week's Newark High School speech day in the Palace Theatre, Newark.

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The number of telephones in the Newark exchange area has increased by nearly 38% since the war. From 1,950 at the end of the war, the total has been raised to 2,686.

In the Nottingham area generally, the number of telephones has been increased during that period from 70,927 to 116,785.

"The provision of new telephone installations in the area is being continuously stepped up," the Advertiser was informed this week, "and is now proceeding at a rate of nearly 200 a week."

Additional cables are being provided in Newark, and a cable scheme is due to start in Southwell shortly.

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Newark's traffic control regulations, involving one-way streets and no-parking areas, are to become permanent.

Although the theoretical experimental period expired in the spring, the regulations are still provisional.

On Monday, the town council agreed to apply for their confirmation.

Application for confirmation is being advertised, and it will now be open for anyone to propose alterations or make other suggestions.

The council also approved the purchase of land at the Lombard Street carpark.

In answer to Colonel S. I. Derry, the chairman of the highways and public works committee, Ald J. H. Knight (Ind) said it was intended that this carpark should continue to be used for private cars only.