Newark became a town in the early 10th century and it became important militarily for fending off raids. When I visited Newark Castle the Tourist Information office suggested I take some of the self-guided walking tour leaflets with me, and though in the end I didn’t have the time to fully complete the trails I did have a wander around the town taking pictures of some of the more interesting buildings that proved to have quite an interesting history.
Now a Coffee House, the above shows a 16th century timber-framed building where Queen Henrietta, King Charles I’s wife, is supposed to have stayed.
The Ossington building, above, particularly stands out given its almost isolated position across the road from Newark Castle. Built in 1882 it was actually designed to resemble a tavern from the 17th century. Viscountess Ossington, daughter of the 4th Duke of Portland, had it built as a temperance hotel to persuade locals to stay away from the town’s public houses and it is now known as The Ossington Coffee House.
The above is the back of The Gilstrap Centre, within the grounds of Newark Castle. Built in the 1880s it used to house the Gilstrap Free library and was the gift of Sir William Gilstrap.
The Buttermarket Shopping Centre was another building that caught my eye and had to be photographed at a jaunty angle thanks to the stalls of the outdoor market next to it. It opened in 1884 as the New Market Hall and was the site of indoor stalls, though a meat market had been there since 1798.
This building which now serves as a restaurant was the Post Office (as you can see from the inscription above the door) and built in 1908.
The final building that caught my eye, no doubt because of its baroque style architecture, was the Corn Exchange Building. Opened in 1848, as well as holding the corn market every week it was also used as a lecture and exhibition hall and continued to be used until 1978. The two statues either side of what would have been the clock tower apparently represent commerce and agriculture.
Newark certainly has some interesting architecture and you can find some more photographs of the town here.
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