By Paul Topping

In my late teen years, I would spend many weekends in Newark-on-Trent in Middle Midlands. For the one to five months of good weather each year, there is nothing better than being in these middle England towns. Old canals with locks, rolling rivers, old churches and cemeteries full of history. Industrial towns and villages with their pubs, market squares, cobbled streets and properties spanning centuries. These towns are numerous across Middle England. All have some history, but Newark has a lot. Like so many towns scattered across the country, it has a central square, a spired church and an array of historic buildings. Newark as a dwelling goes back to 4000 BC and was later expanded by the Romans, as the town was on the strategic Fosse Way, a route linking key Roman towns. Later, it became a Saxon stronghold.

Lady Godiva owned Newark and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Godiva was also the woman said to have ridden her horse naked around Coventry. The cruel King John died in the castle in 1216. Newark features strongly in the English Civil War in the 1640s. Battles, sieges and surrenders all took place in and around the town. Later, it was known for its wool and textile industrial success for over 150 years. The River Trent flows through the town and forms part of its nautical success, allowing boats to travel from the centre of England’s waterways to the seaport. A major wool town, it was producing and transporting goods. Newark was the first major commercial beer-producing town in Middle England, a crown it lost to Burton when pollution from Nottingham via the polluted river ended a key aspect of production.

There has been a Newark Castle since 1133, standing proud next to the River Trent and the canal network.

There are several churches in the town, the oldest dates from the twelfth century, giving you a wide view of its history. Its spire is reputed to have a hole in it from a cannonball fired during the Civil War. I met a lady of Italian descent working in the church. She had escaped as a child from war-torn mainland Europe. I walked the church with her, getting a running commentary; the military section was fascinating. We parted, and she said her life had been wonderful in the town, having arrived with no family.

The many buildings in and around the town square,  above the market stalls, demonstrate centuries of architecture and history.

There are numerous wall-mounted plaques noting interesting snippets. For example: “Prince Rupert stayed here 19th Oct 1645”, and “Charles the First Coffee Shop”. There are lots of alleyways and nooks and crannies in town. As I turn one corner, there is a sign: “Authentic Kerala Food” with very friendly staff looking after us with excellent Indian food. My go-to restaurant. The sadness of these old English towns is that online retail and out-of-town shopping malls with plenty of parking are reducing visitors and shoppers in traditional towns. Lots of stunning architectural buildings remain empty, many old banks with much reduced commercial value. Many units become charity shops; I counted over fifteen in Newark on my last visit. 

Some miles from Newark lies the village of Tuxford, which still retains the look and feel of an old English town. It is amazing that the current Lord Tuxford once worked for me in Sri Lanka. Garth Tixford was unaware of his family history, and one day he was summoned to the British High Commission and told of his title - Lord Tuxford. The bad news was that there was no property or inheritance, but worse, as a British lord, he had to keep the UK government aware of all his movements. He gave it all up and now lives in the USA.

For the taphophiles, a true story from Newark - during WW2, many Polish airmen were based in Newark, though the UK head was in London. Their prime minister in exile was killed in Malta but buried in Newark alongside his comrades. There is a conspiracy theory about his death, as the pilot survived. In 1994, his remains were returned to a free Poland. I just happened to be in Newark on that occasion. There are a lot of Polish descendants in Newark.

So I will be going back to Newark to reminisce with my relatives about all those visits and good times. Then I’ll walk the canal paths in this little bit of Middle England and ponder its glory days further.