Image ID: 41326

Newark Trent Bridge

Courtesy of Ian Brown LRPS

Beast Market Hill
Newark on Trent
Nottinghamshire
England

Looking eastwards into town. Showing the spire St Mary Magdalene, Newark's Parish Church, and the gabled front of The Ossington Coffee House. This was designed by a most expensive London Architect; Ernest George and Peto, and given in 1882 by Viscountess Ossington (sister to Welbeck Abbey's Earl of Portland) as a coffee promoting temperance hotel. Unfortunately, the noble ambitions of the Viscountess were never that successful, and the building has seen a variety of uses, from Fish and chip shop to offices. The Bridge over the River Trent is of brick dressed in stone , built in 1775 and designed by Stephen Wright. Its building co-incided with improvements to the newark Navigation, and incorporated the navigation towpath wall within one of the seven segmental arches on the western side of the bridge, (though this impeded the flow of the river until the 1820's when the wall was replaced by one which allowed the freeflow of water). The footways and railings date from 1848, when the increase in traffic due to the recently opened Castle railway station, had reduced the existing surface into a muddy mess, and it is this date (in Roman numerals) and the Newark coat of arms, which adorns the bridge, rather than the original date of the bridge's construction. To the left of the bridge is the Wharf Market, which was previously held on the road of Beastmarket Hill, until the congestion it caused required its removal to the town wharf site seen here. It was originally a small livestock market, selling rabbits, ducks and poultry, but by the time of this photograph, it sold mainly household, timber and garden goods. The shed on the market site belonged to Richard Watkinson and partners, local auctioneers, who handled sales on the site.

Date: 03/1989

Organisation Reference: NCCE000619

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