Newark Castle, 06-2013 (13) (16106247038)

Newark Castle and bridge London Published by J Deeley, 95 Bewick St Soho, 1812 Coloured aquatint

Newark Castle, in

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road bypasses the town on the line ...

in the English county of

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, was founded in the mid 12th century by

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...

. Originally a timber castle, it was rebuilt in stone towards the end of the century. The castle was

slighted Slighting is the deliberate damage of high-status buildings to reduce their value as military, administrative or social structures. This destruction of property sometimes extended to the contents of buildings and the surrounding landscape. It is ...

(dismantled) in the 17th century as a result of the English Civil War, and restored in the 19th century, first by Anthony Salvin in the 1840s and then by the corporation of Newark who bought the site in 1889.

History

In a charter generally thought to date to 1135, King Henry I granted the

permission to build a castle.Braun (1935) The charter reads Alexander also established a

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAE ...

at the castle. This early castle was most likely of timber construction, and was rebuilt in stone towards the end of the century. King

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

died after a feast at this castle on the night of 18 October 1216 from

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

, according to tradition from eating a "surfeit of peaches". The castle was

in 1648 and left derelict. Between 1845 and 1848 architect Anthony Salvin restored the castle, and in 1889 the corporation of Newark purchased the building and carried out further restoration work. The castle is a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

, a "nationally important" historic building and

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

which has been given protection against unauthorised change. It is also a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

(first listed in 1950) and recognised as an internationally important structure. The Gilstrap Heritage Centre is located on the castle grounds. The centre featured exhibits about the castle, and the town's history during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

s. The Gilstrap Centre is now the Newark Registration Office. Admission to the gardens is free and tours are conducted by the Castle Ranger. File:Newark Castle, 06-2013 (9).jpg, The castle seen from the west File:Newark Castle, 06-2013 (10).jpg, The 12th-century gatehouse seen from the south File:Newark Castle, 06-2013 (3).jpg, Inside the north west corner of the castle & location of Ranger's Office. File:Newark Castle, 06-2013 (6).jpg, The gatehouse was

by detonating gunpowder. 19th-century renovation work by Anthony Salvin is denoted by brick.Rakoczy 2007: 274

References

;Bibliography * *Fryde, E. B., D. E. Greenway, S. Porter and I. Roy (eds) (1996)
Handbook of British Chronology, third edition.
' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * * *Warren, W. Lewis. (1991)
King John.
' London: Methuen. .

External links

containing a comprehensive bibliography
Newark Castle and gardensYouTube video about the Gilstrap Heritage Centre and castle ruins
{{Authority control Castles in Nottinghamshire Tourist attractions in Nottinghamshire Scheduled monuments in Nottinghamshire Ruins in Nottinghamshire Gardens in Nottinghamshire Museums in Nottinghamshire History museums in Nottinghamshire Newark-on-Trent Grade I listed buildings in Nottinghamshire Ruined castles in England Grade I listed ruins Grade I listed castles

History

See also

References

External links