The Newark 1646 Group

Against all odds - the final siege of Newark, 1646

At the Castle, Riverside Park and town centre. Parking available at various locations within the town.   http://www.ewok30.freeserve.co.uk/

Sunday 30 April and Bank Holiday Monday 1 May 2006 (plus "prequel" on Saturday 29th) 

11am to 4.30pm   Free admission 

Parliamentarian siege lines - Royalist castle garrison - cannon bombardments - skirmishes - living history - parades - displays and much more

A fantastic success! This is the unanimous judgement of all involved in this major event to mark the 360th anniversary of the 3rd and final siege of Newark, the surrender of which effectively brought about the end of the first English Civil War and victory for Parliament over King Charles 1. Featuring over 200 members of the English Civil War Society and friends from The Forlorn Hope, this hugely successful weekend of activities was organised by The Newark 1646 Group, EventPlan and Fairfax Battalia. It was supported by the Local Heritage Initiative, a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency, with additional support and assistance from  Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Click for our photo gallery, or for those by Geoff Buxton,  Past Image and caro1_uk.

Click for online reports from the Newark Advertiser and i-uk.com

With the outnumbered but defiant Royalists in the castle facing determined Parliamentarians in their siege lines across the river, a superb weekend of activities entertained around 10,000 visitors, encompassing living history, impressive cannon bombardments, siege lines, parades, displays and skirmishes. Click for a timetable of displays and activities. All living history displays were accessible to the disabled and many suitable for visually impaired visitors. 

Schools Day

Following on from classroom activities and workshops devoted to the history of the castle and its importance in the civil war, a Schools’ Living History Day was held on Friday 28 April. Presented by members of the English Civil War Society, it brought history to life in a highly visual, exciting and hands-on manner for hundreds of children. Places were limited and participation by schools was by invitation only.

Pupils enjoyed the opportunity to “step back in time” and meet people from the C17th. Officers, soldiers, civilians and camp followers carried out their duties and demonstrated what life was like – and how different it was from today.

Click the Local Heritage Initiative link (above) for more information.

The commemoration

On Monday morning, following a parade in the town and rousing speech by David McLoughlin, a poignant wreath laying ceremony was held at the memorial to fallen civil war soldiers at St. Mary Magdelene Church, in which the soldiers and civilians that lost their lives in the three sieges of Newark and the war as a whole were remembered. Charles' Kightly's eloquent speech was followed by Tony Barton's exquisite and poignant fanfare, his own composition based on the Last Post and beautifully played on his replica C17th cavalry trumpet.

Exhibitions to enjoy

The castle's Gilstrap Centre hosts a fascinating exhibition about the history of Newark, including artifacts uncovered in archaeological digs. You can also enjoy an exhibition of C17th military living history event photographs by Sue Atkins. Sue has another exhibition (this time of civilian life in the C17th)  in the Mezzanine Gallery of the Millgate Museum from 25 April to 1 June 2006.

From 24^th April to 19^th May, Newark and Southwell libraries will be displaying a series of exhibition panels loaned by Rufford Country Park about the civil war, and a newly revised booklist entitled “The World Turned Upside Downe" will be available along with a selection of other books about the English Civil War. 

Miniature wargames

As part of the weekend's activities, The Pike and Shot Society staged a wargame of the siege with beautifully painted 25mm high miniature soldiers at the Millgate Museum. Click the society link for details.

Visiting Newark and its Castle

Why not find out more about visiting this historic market town? Click for details.

Newark is situated at the intersection of the A1 and A46 in Nottinghamshire.  Take the A46 Newark ring road and at the A46/A616 roundabout, head into town.  The Castle and siege lines will be situated on the right just over the bridge.

There are two railway stations in Newark. Newark Castle Station (Nottingham - Llincoln line) is only 3 minutes walk away.

Visitor Parking

There are hundreds of parking spaces spread across numerous car parks around the town, mostly charging modest fees. In addition to car parks, there are some free on-street parking, plus supermarkets (a fee applies). For full details of parking in Newark, please click the link.

Other events 2006

Click here for details of many other historical events organised by EventPlan this year.

     Links to 

Timetable of displays & activities    Historical background to the siege

  Events 2006       EventPlan Home Page        EventPlan News

Updated 11 June 2006