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This market town, once
known as ‘the key to the North’, is also a
small river port on the mighty Trent. At one
time it was a post-town on the Great North
Road. It has retained some of its charm,
boasting a cobbled market place, some
half-timbered buildings and the Church of St
Magdalene - one of the most imposing parish
churches in England. An earlier settlement was
destroyed by the Vikings in the 12th century
but it was quickly rebuilt, with Bishop
Alexander adding a formidable castle. |
Newark Castle - Photo:
Richard Croft
CCL |
Unfortunately, this otherwise
impregnable fortress became a tragic ruin after
Charles 1 surrendered it to Parliamentary forces
during the Civil War in the mid-17th century.
Five hundred years earlier
King John died in the castle, either from poison
or a surfeit of peaches and cider. The Queen’s
Sconce is an earthwork built as a defensive
structure during the war.
One-time Prime Minister
William Gladstone was Newark’s MP for three years
in the 19th century, making his first public
address from the Clinton Arms.
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