The Advertiser has opened its archives to see what was making the news this week 25, 50 and 100 years ago.
25 years ago – May 14, 1999
ABOVE: Part of a school field has been transformed into a rainbow-coloured wildlife haven for children by a mature student at Brackenhurst College, Southwell.
Kate Richards, of North Muskham, has designed and built the garden at her village’s primary school as part of her National Certificate in Horticulture.
It includes a 6ft tall living willow structure that children can play inside.
• Rail services between Newark Northgate and London could double this winter if new plans by a rival operator to Great Northern Railways gets the go-ahead.
The bid by West Anglian Great Northern comes as the number of passengers using the East Coast Mainline has hit record levels.
• Drinkers are welcome once again at Newark’s Ossington public house and restaurant, which has re-opened.
A new programme of late-licence events will include student nights on Thursdays, karaoke on Fridays and Saturday night discos.
Upstairs, rooms would be used to host some of the events but would still be available to hire for private functions and wedding parties.
• A total of 52,250 people visited the 117th Newark and Nottinghamshire County Show on Friday and Saturday – 2,066 more than last year.
• The grave of a woman who may have been an Anglo-Saxon princess has been discovered on the outskirts of Newark.
The woman, aged 35-45, was buried in a single grave. With her was a handmade clay urn, silver wrist clasps, a bronze disc, 40 glass beads, part of a wooden bucket containing three Roman coins, and a knife.
The find was made near the end of a two-week dig on a site around the Winthorpe Road area of the town.
50 years ago – May 18, 1974
ABOVE: Newark’s Mayor Mrs Elizabeth Yorke raises her goblet in a toast to the people of the town at a reception in Newark Town Hall after the Mayor’s Sunday service in Newark Parish Church.
Mrs Yorke was colourful and striking figure in her fur trimmed civic robe. But even a lady mayor needs somewhere to keep her personal belongings and Mrs Yorke carried a small dorothy bag carefully selected to match her robe of office.
• A series of strikes by nurses at Newark, Balderton and Hawtonville hospitals is likely to take place in support of the nurses’ national campaign for higher wages.
Mr Tony Morris, Notts area officer for the National Union of Public Employees, said the nurses in the three hospitals were “very militant”.
“We discussed all kinds of action, including token strikes, sit-ins and petitions,” he said.
• A total of 600 new jobs will be available for women and girls in Newark when a firm of light clothing manufacturers opens an extension to its factory.
The firm, Meritina, is planning a huge expansion programme, of which the extension to the factory in Sleaford Road is part.
• As temperatures soared this week, shops selling sandwiches had a rush of lunchtime customers as office workers decided to picnic in the parks and grounds of Newark Castle.
Dress shops were also kept busy by customers showing a sudden interest in cool summer clothes.
100 years ago – May 14, 1924
A meeting of the Newark Juvenile Advisory Committee was held, when the question of juvenile migration was discussed.
The committee approved of the various schemes and recommend that full advantage be taken by juveniles whose qualifications and temperament fir them for future colonists of our Empire.
• An exhibition of fuel-less cookery and food hygiene is to be held at Newark Town Hall.
An invention will be shown in actual work which, it is claimed, revolutionises all other methods of cookery.
This wonderful appliance will roast joints, bake cakes or pies, in fact, do all the cooking for the household without using coal or gas or other fuel during the actual process of cooking.
• The headmaster and staff of the Southwell National Schools hit upon a happy idea of raising funds for a sports outfit in connection with the organised games of the schools.
Notices were sent out asking people to send any old articles of furniture, ornaments, clothes, etc,. The scholars collected them and a giant rummage sale was held in the school room.
Every conceivable item was in the collection, including a tiny kitten and some chickens.
• The Newark Tradesmen’s Association are promoting a day excursion to the British Empire Exhibition on July 3, on which date the association recommends that the shops in the town shall be closed for the whole day.
It is believed that many of the general public will be glad of the opportunity afforded by a through train from Newark to the exhibition.
