Newark Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Standing on the bank of the Trent, at the point where the Great North Road crossed the river, the ruins of Newark Castle form one of the most recognisable silhouettes in the East Midlands. The site, already occupied by a Norman motte, was transformed in the 12th century into a stone fortress by the Bishops of Lincoln, who made it both a stronghold and a prestigious residence. The ensemble retains an early 12th-century gatehouse, considered the most complete Romanesque gatehouse in England, as well as a long curtain wall facing the river, punctuated by polygonal towers and pierced with windows, beneath which lies a vaulted undercroft. Successive bishops, and then the Earls of Rutland in the late 16th century, adapted the living quarters to the taste of their time. The castle is associated with two notable moments in English history: the death of King John in October 1216 and the three sieges endured by Newark, a Royalist stronghold, during the Civil War. Slighted in 1646, it became in the 19th century a testing ground for monument conservation, before being laid out as a public garden by the town. Owned by Newark and Sherwood District Council, it is the subject of a major restoration project for the gatehouse.