There and Back Again: Newark Castle

Newark (Newark-on-Trent) is one of the closest large towns to Rainworth besides Mansfield, which is in the opposite direction. According to Wikipedia, "The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way. The town grew around Newark Castle, now ruined, and a large marketplace, now lined with historic buildings. It was a local centre for the wool and cloth trade. During the English Civil War it was besieged by Parliamentary forces, and had to be relieved by Prince Rupert in a battle known as the Relief of Newark." 

One of the jewels of Newark is the castle by the river Trent. "Newark Castle ... was founded in the mid 12th century by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln. Originally a timber castle, it was rebuilt in stone towards the end of the century. Dismantled in the 17th century after the English Civil War, the castle was 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."

These days it sits somewhat forlornly, waiting. On the day we visited it was brutally cold as the wind made the air temperature feel just about freezing. Amazingly the skies were a bright azure and we only saw the quintessential British rain clouds later in the day. 

There is no entrance fee to visit Newark castle. Visitor's can traipse it's manicured lawns on all sides. 

The gazebo was very beautiful and ornate. In the centre were guide points in the directions of North, South, East and West. 

The day we visited saw very few visitor's besides ourselves. After a certain point we had free rein. While it didn't take particularly long to traverse the entirety of the castle, I personally found all the nooks and crannies to be wondrous and beautiful. 

The wind made a very hallow tune as it ran through the open windows. It was rather eerie listening to it howl. While there were very few signs and no volunteers to ask, you got the very real feeling that the castle very much came alive at night, and I do not think by the living.

These openings you see on the left are where the wind was howling from. Once you stepped in front of one of the openings you were nearly blasted off your feet due to the incredible tunnel-effect. 

Maybe half an hour in to our self-guided tour and the clouds began to roll in.

Here you can see the castle from the other side of the river. 

I found these flowering bushes fascinating as it was the dead of winter at this point.

After our tour around the castle we headed to our next destination: Zizzi Ristorante. We had arranged a pre-booked table, however our hostess seemed not to listen or not to care about our reservation and simply brought us to a beautiful table overlooking the castle.

Unfortunately the service was dreadfully slow and while the food was very good, the prices were rather steep and we may not return to that establishment in the future. 

As with most towns in England, once the sun begins to set the shops begin to close. We tried to get in to see as many as we could before they shut for the evening but as luck would have it, the ones we had planned on visiting had closed down indefinitely and the ones that looked interesting really weren't. I stopped to take this gorgeous photo of the church at the heart of the town, The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene.

From there we wandered back to the bus station and eventually back home. I loved every minute of Newark and I'll be glad to visit again, perhaps this time when it's warmer.

Coming next month: Newstead Abbey.