February 23, 1955

Alderman J. A. Markwick, chairman of Newark Town Council's finance committee, discussed his budget statement with Mr P. Casterton, borough treasurer, before presenting rate proposals to the council.

Prospects of a substantial fall in the rates are slight but this year there are grounds for hoping that, even if not reduced for the first time since 1949, the rates will be held steady at the present level of 22s. in the £.

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Children who stay up late to watch television programmes are those who learn least at school. This has been established by a recent survey at Lover's Lane County Junior Mixed School, Newark, the headmaster, Mr E. Lee, told a meeting of Newark Discussion Club.

Mr Lee said that one of his teachers made a check of all the children in his class and found that nearly 60% had television at home. Of those, half stayed up until 8pm to watch the programmes. "He found that all the children who stayed up until 8pm, 9pm or even 10pm for television were the ones in the lower section of his class," said Mr Lee.

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The third severe freeze-up of the winter in the past week took a heavy toll of vehicles, walls, railings and road signs. Injuries to people were few - Newark General Hospital admitted only one road casualty during the week.

But the deep freeze has filled Newark garages. Motor-repairers report that they are exceptionally busy dealing with crash-damaged vehicles. The lowest temperature was reached on Saturday and Sunday nights, when it plunged to 14 degrees of frost.

February 16, 1955

The link between the police and the Guards in Newark is captured in this Advertiser newsphoto taken at the annual dinner of the Grenadier Guards Comrades' Association at the Clinton Arms Hotel, Newark, on Saturday.

Standing third from right is the assistant secretary, Mr G. Coe, who was a Newark police officer before he retired. Next to him, in uniform, is Guardsman B. Packer, formerly a police cadet, and on the extreme right is branch member Mr T. E. Johnson, a serving police officer.

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Somewhere in the audience at the Savoy Cinema Newark, on Wednesday evening, a person was busy cutting to shreds four of the red plush seats.

On Thursday morning cleaners found one seat at the back of the stalls slashed by a sharp object - the instrument went into the felt - and three adjacent seats near to the front were similarly cut.

About £12 worth of damage was done - only one seat could be repaired. "I cannot understand how people sitting nearby did not hear it happening. It makes a loud noise," said the manager of the cinema, Mr R. Harris.

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Sheep worrying by dogs in the Newark Police Division is on the increase and it is costing some farmers as much as £100 in loss of ewes and unborn lambs.

In the last six months Newark police have investigated six cases and many more have been of complaints by farmers.

The Chief Constable, Mr J. E. S. Browne, said: "Farmers and shepherds will do all they can to protect their flocks but the real remedy lies in the hands of dog owners who should see that their dogs are kept under effective control."

 February 9, 1955

A boy of 16 and girl of 17 have been poring over a travel catalogue, making plans for their honeymoon.

When they stand before the registrar on February 26, they will be one of the youngest couples ever to be married at Southwell register office.

Curly haired Peter Adrian Gwilym, now a Bilsthorpe trainee miner, was 16 on January 22. Both Peter and pretty Beryl Emily Weston were members of a Bristol Youth Club, and it was there that they met ten months ago.

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Southwell's new £150,000 Secondary Modern mixed voluntary controlled school will be named after a local benefactor, William Cludd.

The first stage of the building, costing £90,000, will provide 240 places and it is now hoped that the second stage, bringing the total to 450 places, will be able to proceed immediately afterwards.

The first pupils are expected to occupy the school in January, 1957.

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Miss Mary Nicholson of Collingham, a teacher at Barnby Road School, Newark, was last week elected president of Newark Sunday School Union. She is the second woman president in the union's long history.

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On Sunday, men who normally spend their working lives engaged upon Newark's trade were plunging into the bowels of the earth at a vertical speed of more than 25mph.

A party of 17 members of Newark Tradesman's Association toured Ollerton Colliery. They were issued with lamps and helmets before they were taken by the chair down into the pit.

February 2, 1955

The ballroom of Newark Town Hall wore its best banqueting appearance for the charter anniversary dinner of Newark Rotary Club on Friday night.

The event was also a celebration of Rotary's golden anniversary. The Newark club was founded 30 years ago.

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As Mr F. Stones led his farm cart through the soggy fields at Brough, he was not unduly pleased by the masses of mud that gradually became stuck fast to the wheels.

But there was gold in that tha' mud. Heavy rain during the night washed the mud from the wheels and Mr Stones found a coin about the size of a sovereign lying on the ground.

It was pure gold and worth more than £3 as scrap. The historical value was greater for it was made during the reign of the Roman emperor, Nero (54-68AD).

It was the first Roman coin ever to be found in the Newark area. Now, after valuation by the British Museum, it has been acquired for the Borough Museum.

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Newark Market, where the first striped coloured stall-cover is already on trial, will be the scene of another experiment.

A £30 collapsible tubular metal stall - complete with cover - is to be obtained on approval for experimental purposes. The markets committee is considering the possibility of converting entirely to tubular metal stalls.