A look into the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene in Newark-on-Trent

May 31, 2016

From many parts of the town we got glimpses of the Parish Church as we walked around and it's an impressive church at that. It's Grade I listed and has quite a story so after we spotted those colourful doors we found our way inside.

Its octagonal spire is the highest in Nottinghamshire and has a hole in which is said to have been made during the Civil War. The hole is visible from parts of the town, but we weren't able to spot it.

Before we went inside we couldn't help but notice a rather large chimney across the way but clearly part of the church. It's from the church heating boiler built in 1854, according to the red plaque on the wall.

Inside it was very ornate and I later discovered it was restored in the mid nineteenth century - and doesn't it look great?

There was so much to see in the church and I was impressed with the shine on the floor.

The organ was near to the choir stalls and I liked how this shot of the keyboards turned out.

The organ's keyboards at St Mary Magdalene in Newark on Trent - it lends itself to black and white photography.

This view of St Mary Magdalene in Newark on Trent looks toward the Nave and shows how grand this parish church is

It's a pretty impressive Parish Church, which at first I took for something grander and it's always nice to go into the churches of places we visit. I think a church gives you a real feel for its community and I've said before that Newark was a lovely place and one I hope to visit again.

The buildings of Newark-on-Trent

May 18, 2016

As we cycled into Newark from our base at Ivy Farm I knew I was going to like the town. The first things we saw were this traditional cycle shop and the Palace Theatre, surely they were good omens?

And while I knew I wanted to come here, I hadn't really planned much of what we should see, or where we should go. Clare had said the best place to leave our bikes was in the Market Square, so we were pleased to spot this sign.

The Market Place was a traditional market square with the town hall at one end of the square. I can't tell you how many times we walked through here sometimes checking on our bikes and other times because we just found ourselves back here.

And inevitably we often got a view of the Parish Church, a beautiful building inside and out. I've some photos from inside the church which I'll share another day. But it's an elegant church isn't it?

On one of our walks around the church I spied these brightly coloured front doors over the wall, and I was off to get a closer look. And the second photo below was taken standing in the middle of the road with MOH on watch for oncoming cars.

There were plenty of great looking buildings in the town - and as I had my camera in my hand, I snapped quite a few of them. The details of the stonework and the fancy bits on the roof stood out on this one.

The vintage signs and the plant which was climbing up this building caught my eye at the time, and now when I look at this photo I think it has a timeless quality to it. And that's how I felt about Newark - a place that still has traditional values at its heart.

There's not many letterboxes you'll see at this height, and it's a traditional green colour too isn't it?

I was curious about, what turned out to be a boot scraper to the left of the red door below. And I loved how it was built in to the building's fabric, I think because I'm after a classic freestanding boot scraper myself. I'm quite fussy and have an idea of what I want, but haven't seen the one I want yet.

Heading back towards town we headed into The Arcade and the roof caught my eye.

At the end of the Arcade we spent some time looking in the window of a vintage shop, and two things from my childhood caught my eye. The first was this dress, which I'm sure my mum had something similar, it was either peach or blue but had the same fine pleats.

The other thing that caught my eye was the mustard coloured cups and saucers - the very same set that we had at home in the 1970s. I was very tempted to buy these two trios (plate, saucer and cup) but they don't really match my usual, more prettier style of tea sets. I think that dinner set is long gone, but maybe they have an odd piece or two hanging about. I'll have to find out.

I've still more to share from Newark-on-Trent - some from inside the Parish Church and of course some from the Castle - so look out for those.

Sconce and Devon Park

May 12, 2016

On the third day of our three county cycle trip, after we'd left our bikes securely on the Market Square we used our feet to get around Newark. And we covered a fair bit of ground, trying to fit in as many of the town's sights as we could.

There was a park a little further away from most things with a peculiar name - Sconce and Devon Park - and the lady at the makeshift Tourist Information centre told us it was well worth a visit. So fancying a walk after elevenses and quite a hefty lunch we followed the signs, and walked the ten minutes to the park. I mean, Sconce and Devon what was that all about?

Well it turns out the park is named for its two significant features. The Queen's Sconce and the River Devon - and I can't tell you how many times I've typed scone instead of sconce in this post!

The Queen's Sconce is as the information board says, "one of Europe's most well preserved earthwork fortifications." Newark is proud of its Civil War History because it controlled the gateway to the North.

The Sconce was built in 1644 and played a key part in the Royalists' defences during the Third Siege of Newark. It was named for King Charles I's wife Queen Henrietta. And it might sound obvious but it's in the shape of a sconce (sconce, not scone!) and meant they had a good vantage point from all sides.

It's believed that the plague is in part responsible for the collapse of Newark and responsible for why the sconce survived. It seems that Newark was deserted with the Parliamentarians sending the Royalist forces away and leaving themselves fairly soon after. They gave orders for the villagers to tear down the defences, but they were never carried out which is why the Sconce has survived.

Today the sconce is enhanced by some fabulous ironwork. The bridge over to the centre of the sconce, as well as the fretwork cannon. And well you know how much I like ironwork!

There would have been around 150 troops here during the siege and they would have had their quarters close to the ammunition store in the hollow at the centre of the sconce.

So quite an historical afternoon, and a fascinating one too where I learnt more than I thought I would about the Civil War.