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Historic town on the Trent

The charming and historic town of Newark-on-Trent is situated where the Great North Road meets the Fosseway on the banks of the River Trent. Overlooking the river are the dramatic remains of the castle which dates from the twelfth century and replaced an earlier fortification on the same site. King John died there in 1216, Henry VII stayed there on his way to the Battle of Stoke Fields four miles away and Cardinal Wolsey and James I were also visitors. The castle was used as a royalist stronghold to defend the town during the three sieges of Newark. At the end of the Civil War, the people of the town were ordered by Cromwell to demolish the castle but the curtain wall, overlooking the river, still remains.

Many of the town's buildings date from the Georgian and Regency periods and its Market Place, one of the largest cobbled squares in the country, is dominated by the Grade II listed Town Hall, built in the 1770s and designed by John Carr of York. From another side, the magnificent spire of St Mary Magdalene's Church can be seen soaring above the buildings. One of the finest churches in the country it was built in the thirteenth century and has one of the four largest brasses in Flemish work in England.

One of the oldest buildings in the Market Place is the former Olde White Hart, now the offices of a building society. This fourteenth-century timber-framed building is now one of the finest examples of such architecture in the country.

The Market Place is not simply a museum piece. Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, up to 120 stalls sell a huge selection of food and wares. On Mondays and Thursdays there are antiques and crafts and an auction market is held every Wednesday at Riverside Park. The town is also a delight for shoppers with its individually owned shops alongside branches of national chain stores. There are plenty of car parks and excellent public transport links. While you're in Newark you can discover more about its history from its museums. Newark Museum in Appletongate was opened in 1912 and has a large collection of archaeological finds dating from Roman objects found at nearby villa and fort sites. The Millgate Museum is housed in an 1870s' building used at various times as an oilseed mill, a warehouse and as premises for the Trent Navigation Company. Inside the museum streets, shops and rooms have been recreated to show the town from Victorian times to the 1950s. Just outside Newark, close to the showground, is the Newark Air Museum with its huge display of aircraft and memorabilia dating from the early days of flying.