Castle funding boost to unlock underground dungeons

A project to refurbish a 12th-Century castle is set to receive a £2.5m boost which will fund works to open up "hidden" underground spaces including three dungeons.

Newark Castle is undergoing multi-million pound works to open the original gatehouse, restore access to parts of the surviving walls and improve accessibility.

Newark and Sherwood District Council said the additional funding - which is set to be allocated by the East Midlands Combined County Authority - would allow phase two of the project to take place.

The authority said the work would open up the castle's underground spaces and create safer routes into areas that have been "largely inaccessible to the public for some time".

Newark Castle was originally built in the mid-12th Century by Bishop Alexander of Lincoln, who was known as Alexander the Magnificent.

It survived three sieges during the English Civil War but was partly demolished on the orders of Oliver Cromwell.

According to the council, new ladders and lighting would be added to two dungeons in the north-west tower as part of the Newark Castle Gatehouse Project.

It added the debtors' dungeon in the south-west tower would undergo "significant enhancements", including the installation of a floating glass floor that would allow visitors to view the historic features beneath.

The council said the undercroft in the castle - which was used for storage - would become a community venue.

Once complete, the authority said the space would be able to host a range of activities and events, including live music performances, educational visits and weddings.

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said the castle was a "much-loved landmark" and the funding boost would bring the history of the site "to life for visitors from across the region and beyond".

She added: "Unlocking the castle's hidden underground spaces will give people the chance to discover a fascinating part of Newark's past that has been closed to the public for years, while ensuring these important historic spaces are protected for generations to come."

Sarah Clarke, project delivery manager, said the project would transform "dingy, unusable, inaccessible rooms" to "exciting new spaces".

"Over the last few years, whenever I've been talking to people at events and when I've done consultation activities around Newark, people always ask me, 'Will you be able to do the dungeons, when can I go in the dungeons?'.

"We haven't been able to make a promise about that, but now finally we can.

"We will be able to open up the dungeons and the undercroft again, which is just so exciting."

When asked about the cost of phase one of the project - which has reached more than £8m - Rowan Cozens, deputy leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said the castle was "unique".

"This is one of the finest examples and the most complete example of a gatehouse from the medieval times that we have in the UK," she said.

She added: "The value to us is priceless, so far for phase one we've spent £8m and that's a pot of funding that has been from the local regeneration fund, that's come from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, and then from Newark and Sherwood District Council we've had to put in a third.

"So, I would say in terms of the value that it gives us, it's beyond a balance sheet isn't it?"

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