Leaflet ready for town trail
A leaflet detailing a tourist trail of Newark’s former brewing landmarks will be available from next week.
Newark Civic Trust has printed 10,000 leaflets outlining the 11/2-mile route, which shows why the town was once dubbed The Metropolis of Malt.
From the 18th Century to the second half of the 20th Century, the town was the centre of the English brewing and malting industries, and a wide variety of beers were exported throughout the world from Newark.
The trail takes in elegant brewery buildings, many of which have been or will be converted into homes and shops.
The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain contributed half of the £1,300 cost of producing the leaflets, with Newark Town Partnership contributing the rest.
An administrator for the association, Jennie Richards, said malting had a long history and there was evidence that ancient Egyptians brewed beer.
She said: “Newark was ideally placed to become a centre for malting in England with access to malting barley, grown in Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, which was transported to the town via the River Trent.
“The association is pleased for the opportunity to support this excellent leaflet, giving people an introduction into this fascinating industry.”
The leaflets will be available at tourist informations centres in Newark, Ollerton and Southwell, as well as at Millgate Museum and Newark Library.
The tour begins at the bronze plan of Newark in the castle grounds, before crossing to the Ossington Coffee Palace, now a Zizzi Italian restaurant. The Ossington was built in 1881 as a temperance house.
Other landmarks on the tour include the Queen Anne-style Sketchley House, once the home of the 18th Century brewer, Samuel Sketchley. It is now owned by Holden’s furniture store.
Tourists will also see former river-side maltings, including Stephenson House, as well as the Northgate maltings, built in 1864 for Richard Warwick. This became Warwicks and Richardsons in 1890, when Joseph Richardson became a partner.
A second trail on mediaeval timber-framed buildings is planned for the August bank holiday weekend.
