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The story of Newark Castle

Tim Warner archive

A look back at days long gone.

Saved from ruin - Country house visiting remains one of our most popular weekend pastimes and in the Dukeries area of north Nottinghamshire we are blessed with some very fine examples.

Terrace of houses sandwiched between two enterprises - I have written in the past about the Newark sheet metal business of Blagg and Johnson on Massey Street.

Prompted Australian search - I recently received a letter from Mr Brian Barratt of Mount Waverley Victoria, in Australia, who is exploring his family history.

Promoted book excellence - Recently opened in the north west corner of Newark Market Place is a new pub called the Sir John Arderne.

Dark days of hand pumps and horses - This month is an important anniversary for the Newark Fire Service for it celebrates 30 years in its current premises on Boundary Road.

Charting the town's privilege and progress - NNewark has recently enjoyed two big summer festivals - the Town Council Festival which ended last week, and in June, the new Newark on Water Festival.

Advised on authenticity - In a quiet corner of Newark town centre, a small but significant architectural improvement has recently been put into effect by the Newark Town and District Club.

War dulled artist's dazzling career  - "By Public Demand..." reads the poster, and by public demand it certainly is that as part of this year's Newark Town Council Festival there is to be an exhibition of work by one of Newark's best remembered artists, Robert Kiddey (1900-1984).

Centenary celebrations - With the new century now only six months away plans for millennium celebrations are well under way.

Forest's famous trees - The Major Oak in Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest is justly famous, both for its size and mythological associations with Robin Hood.

Spanning the gap - Take a look at the £1 coin in your pocket. If the design on the back shows three lions passant or a Celtic cross, Welsh dragon or Scottish lion, you are holding a piece of art by former Newark area resident, Norman H. Sillman.

Pioneer trapper - Following the appearance of an article several weeks ago, Advertiser readers drew my attention to the exploits of Richard Arkwright's older and no less remarkable brother, George, who in the 1770s, became a pioneer settler in Labrador in the far north east of Canada.

Barbaric sport - Recently published by Tony Gee of London is a new book chronicling the history of bare-knuckle boxing and the heroes of the prize fighting ring.

Drew first blood - I wrote last week about the early career of Newark's noted 19th Century bare-knuckle boxer, Harry Paulson (1819 - 1890).

Posthumous honour - This month sees the 15th anniversary of the death of one of Newark's most fondly remembered residents, the town's former MP, Mr Ted Bishop.

Sharp corners caught on - I have written in the past about Newark entrepreneur and property developer Emily Blagg who, in the early years of this century, was responsible for the creation of some of the town's most distinctive buildings.

Important anniversaries - Two important anniversaries attach themselves to Kelham Hall this year.

Sold into slavery - Many people will have enjoyed the recent BBC television adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations filmed (in part) at Nottinghamshire's Thoresby Hall.

Novelist's Newark link - Asked to name Newark's most outstanding connection with the world of literature, most of us would probably think of the poet Lord Byron.

Ice destroys bridges - I wrote last week about Kelham Hall just outside Newark and how the building of the present house was necessitated only as the result of a disastrous fire.

Curious cures for odd ailments - Lincoln woman Maureen Sutton is compiling a book on old household medical cures, with particular reference to Lincolnshire and Nottingham- shire, and although she has a great deal of information from the Lincoln area, she would very much like to receive more examples from Newark and its environs.

Bus links villages to town - I have written in recent weeks about some of the early independent bus operators who ran services in and out of Newark during the Twenties and Thirties.

Prominent home - This month sees the 100th anniversary of the death of one of Newark's most distinguished, but perhaps least well known, 19th Century figures, Lieutenant Colonel W. H. Newton (1830 - 1899).

Shunting shires  -This week's photograph has been loaned by Mrs Doreen Richardson of Balderton. It shows her father, Mr Arthur Hindson, and his horse, Blossom, decked out for Newark's Civic Week parade which took place 50 years ago in July 1949.

Loom powers revolution - I wrote last week about Newark's 18th Century cotton mill (later Parnham's flour mill) which stood on the Trent beside Millgate.

Local service - I have written in the past about some of the early bus companies which were formed around Newark in the Twenties and Thirties.

Changed little - Currently running on BBC 2 on Saturday nights is a series called Century Road, one of a rash of programmes inspired by the end of the 20th Century.

Looms burned - I wrote last week about the early life and career of Edmund Cartwright (1743 - 1823), the inventor of the power loom.

Mystery whereabouts - This week's illustration, a fine 19th Century engraving of a brick and pantile manor house, is taken from William Dickinson's History and Antiquities of the town of Newark on Trent first published in 1806.

Daily grind at the mill - Many people in Newark can remember Parnham's water mill off Millgate. As well as being a distinctive local landmark it was (until its destruction by fire in 1965) an important survivor from the time of Britain's Industrial Revolution.

Memories of the Beatles - For a time during the Sixties it really seemed as if Christmas wasn't Christmas without a number one record from the Beatles.

Yard home to hundreds - I present a further selection of stories about some lost corners of Newark from medieval times through to the present day.

Steamed to success - There are few heavy industrial companies remaining in Newark which have been in existence as long as Abbott's boiler works on Northern Road.

Landmarks of a developing age - As the old year passes into history and the new year of 1999 stretches before us, it is customary to reflect on the fortunes that the last 12 months have brought us.

Hundreds treated - I wrote last week about the early history of the St John Ambulance movement in Newark. The brigade currently has a display at Newark Library which tells of the wide variety of work it undertakes and is the culmination of a year-long recruitment drive.

Handy hoists - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the early history of Abbott and Co, the Newark boilermakers, from its foundation in 1870 through to the early years of this century.

Civil war music - BBC 1's current Sunday teatime adventure series Children of the New Forest once again throws the spotlight on the English Civil War (1642 - 46).

Volunteers proved worth - The Newark Division of St John Ambulance is marking the end of a year-long recruitment drive with an exhibition about its work at Newark Library.

Exhibitions showcased talent - Prince Albert's Great Exhibition of the works of Industry of all Nations in London's Hyde Park in 1851 provided the model for many others which were to follow.

Hamlet lay outside the town walls - A settlement which has disappeared from our area is the hamlet of Osmundthorpe which until the time of the Civil War in the 17th Century was located in that part of Newark which is now known as Northgate.

Morrisons milestone - This Sunday sees the tenth anniversary of the opening of Morrisons supermarket in Newark.

Homes made of mud - The village of Scarrington is today well known for George Flinders' remarkable 17ft high stack of horseshoes.

Band ranks depleted - Newark has a long and proud tradition of producing fine brass and silver bands.

Judge law courts for yourself - In Newark tomorrow between 10am and 4pm local residents will have an opportunity to see inside one of the town's oldest institutions when Newark Magistrates' Court holds its first Open Day.

Formidable figure - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about local entrepreneur and businesswoman Mrs Emily Blagg (1863 - 1935) who came to be known as "Newark's Lady Builder". It was a soubriquet richly deserved.

Brewer's grand mansion - Take a walk along London Road in Newark and you cannot fail to be impressed by the number of grand houses which line the route.

Early entrepreneur - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the noted local historian of Newark and Nottinghamshire, T. M. Blagg.

Historian with a love of all things local - This month marks the 50th anniversary of the death of one of Newark and Nottinghamshire's most distinguished local historians, Thomas Matthews Blagg MBE, FSA.

Miles of mains - Newark Waterworks Company was bought out by Newark Corporation in 1891.

Plague hero - The village of Eyam in the Peak District of Derbyshire is best known for its connection with the Great Plague of 1665-66.

Waterworks improvements - In recent years summer droughts have focused all our attentions on water - where it comes from, the companies who supply it and the restrictions in usage we are all urged to make

Early escapades - A few weeks ago I wrote about some of the early bus services which operated in and around Newark in the Twenties and Thirties.

Bright idea goes worldwide - One name that is particularly associated with gas in Newark is that of Cornelius Britiffe Tully who, for many years, made the equipment to produce gas from coke.

Daily deprivations - Built between 1828 and 1830, Regent Street ran between Albert Street and Victoria Street, and was the creation of a local entrepreneur named William Kelk.

Carried away with routes - In the years leading up to the first world war - before the establishment of rural bus services - travelling into Newark for most people meant using the local carriers cart.

A lost treasure - Over the years redevelopment and urban clearances have accounted for the destruction of many fine old corners of historic Newark.

Shedding light - Early attempts to introduce street lighting to Newark were funded by a public subscription.

Tradition of innovation - Although a native of London, Cornelius Britiffe Tully chose to site his gas engineering business in Newark in 1919 to take advantage of the town's excellent communication and transport links

New home for races - The inaugural meeting at the Southwell Racecourse Company's new course at Rolleston took place on May 16, 1898.

Celebrated with pride - For many people their first experience of television came with Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on July 2, 1953 - 45 years ago this month.

Stuck with town - One of Newark's foremost industrial companies, Croda Adhesives off Winthorpe Road, celebrates 50 years of trading in the town this month.

Illuminating changes - One thing which we all take for granted these days is adequate street lighting.

No bias - Newark is something of a centre for bowling with the large indoor centre on Lincoln Road and seven other traditional outdoor clubs playing on greens.

Banners and bands - William Ewart Gladstone's campaign which was run from headquarters in rooms at the Clinton Arms hotel in the Market Place.

Awash with beer - With its strong historical associations with the brewing trade Newark once sported an impressive array of public houses served by locally produced beers.

Gladstone in Newark - "On Thursday September 20 (1832) while I was reading quietly at Torquay Mr Handley and Serjeant Wilde suddenly commenced a Canvass at Newark; both I am informed made haste to be first in the field and the winner in the race I forget which is stated to have succeeded only by ten minutes."

Recalling scold's punishment - Further investigation into ome of Newark's vanished street names and their origins.

Offshoot to church - An important chapter in Newark's history comes to a close this Sunday with the final service at St. Augustine's church on Newton Street.

Novel suggestion - Those who have been enjoying the dramatisation of Charles Dickens 'penultimate novel Our Mutual Friend on television recently may be interested to learn of one or two associations between the novelist and Newark.

Books are brushed - Two Newark libraries will be celebrating important anniversaries this month.

Ringing out thanks - BBC Schools Radio has broadcast a dramatic retelling of the story behind one of Newark's oldest and most famous customs - ringing for Gopher at Newark Parish Church

Hard work at hardware shop - 100th anniversary of the death of one of Newark's important 19th Century businessman John Howitt.

Drawings on display - Faces from the golden age of the silver screen join with those of local people at Newark Library this month in an exhibition of drawings by former local resident Squadron Leader Jack Currie (1921-96).

Pulling pintas - An intriguing picture loaned by Mr Stanley Fox (80) of Bowbridge Road Newark recalls the days when milk was delivered to people's doors by hand cart.

Famous hanging - Some lost Newark names which over the years have been changed (one suspects) to render them more palatable to present day sensibilities.

What's in a name? - There seems to be a spate of new building around Newark at present with plans for housing developments popping up in the pages of the Advertiser almost every week.

First library - By the end of this year Newark town centre will have acquired another new pub as developer J. D. Wetherspoon takes over the former Ritz video shop in the Market Place.

Castle Bath House - Work has recently begun in the grounds of Newark Castle to restore the Victorian gardens to their former splendour.

News in pictures - A hundred years ago the Advertiser was beginning to experiment with the use of photography testing the new technology to record Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

Burton's style - Recently closed in Newark Market Place is the shop known as the Energy Centre formerly the gas showroom.

Christmas past - When Ebenezer Scrooge awoke on Christmas Day morning after his nightmare encounters with the Ghosts of Christmases Past Present and Future he gave thanks that the horrors they had shown him had not yet come to pass.

Adult education - One of the first organisations to concern itself with adult education was the national network of Mechanics Institutes.

Cash for the wing - With the future of Newark's former General Hospital on London Road still uncertain it is timely to record one particular landmark in the old building's past which occurred 60 years ago this month.

Influential home - Set amid the extensive grounds of the former Balderton Hospital are the surviving portions of one of the Newark area's most impressive Victorian country houses.

Artist's memorials - The art of the memorial or monumental mason is perhaps not usually a topic which receives much consideration despite the fact that their work exists in every town and city across the country.

Folly's fascinating past - One of the most arresting sights as one travels along the A46 south from Newark must be the imposing silhouette of the Coeur de Lion restaurant at Elston.

Prefab lasted 25 years - A short term housing phenomenon - born of a housing shortage immediately after the second world war - were prefabs: single-storey prefabricated dwellings made from steel and concrete.war.

Yards demolished - Collingham Row situated off Queen's Road was one of about 200 old yard or court housing developments which once existed around the centre of Newark.

Industry made mark on town - One of Newark's lost industries which has tended to receive little attention from local historians is the printing and publishing of books.

Heralding news service - The first newspaper to be published in Newark appeared on Wednesday October 5 1791 and was called the Newark Herald.

Gate to Southwell - The custom known as the Gate to Southwell can trace its origins back more than 800 years to the time when Southwell Minster was being built.

Life in a railway carriage - The concept of living in a converted railway carriage may appear far-fetched today but in the Twenties and Thirties they were not an unfamiliar sight in the English countryside.

Well-suited - "All who are interested in the prospering of Newark should look forward with anxious expectation to the introduction of new industries in our midst by which capital and labour may be alike attracted."

Unique foldaway caravan - At a time of year when all but the most hardened of Britain's 1.2m or so caravanners are laying up their vans for the winter the story behind one Newark-based company which made a unique kind of collapsible caravan is once again in the spotlight.

Grecian style-kiln - One of Newark's oldest and most important maltings is being offered for sale by Fisher Hargreaves Proctor of Nottingham.

On parade - One of the most colourful and fondly remembered of Newark's summer customs was the annual non-conformist Sunday School festivals which took place each year on the third Thursday (later Saturday) in June.

Clock's life and times - The clock at Newark parish church is almost 100 years old and in need of renovation.

End of the line - Fifty years ago one of the area's most famous and respected businesses closed its doors after 100 successful years.

The car comes to Newark - In years to come the private ownership of petrol driven motor cars may be looked back on as one of the defining negative features of late 20th Century life.

Appletongate - Appletongate from its root in Newark town centre runs northwards to connect with the main line Northgate railway station.

The railway arrives... and departs - The 150th anniversary of the coming of the railways to Newark was marked in 1996.

Bridge Street - Bridge Streets in Newark's town centre may not at first glance appear to possess anything of particular historical significance but there are episodes in its past which mark it as one of the most fascinating thoroughfares in the town.

Husbands' come-uppance - Research is under way for a book on Nottinghamshire crafts and customs and I was contacted by the author Mr Ian Brown of Nottingham to see what customs might be included from the Newark area.

Icy sentence - An organisation called the Village Lock-up Association has sent out questionnaires across the country in order to compile a National Register of Britain's early detention and punishment centres.

Progressive ideas - Mumby's wholesale clothing factory in Newark was founded in 1881.