Image ID: 10229

Demolition of Newark Tithe Barn, Lovers Lane, Newark, 1960

Courtesy of H Pybus

Lovers Lane
Newark on Trent
England

Newark's old Rectoral Tithe Barn on Lovers Lane was demolished in 1960. A housing development known as Tithe Barn Court now stands on the site. Although the tithe barn ended its lane on Lover Lane, it is worth noting that, being outside Newark's Medieval boundaries, this cannot have been its original location. An Ordination issued by the Archbishop of York in 1426 discussing the apportionment of tithes in Newark, implies that the barn was then located a little way to the north of the parish church of St Mary Magdalene, roughly in the area now occupied by the Mount C E Primary School. Despite demolition, some timbers from the tithe barn still survive and samples taken in 1996 by Drs Bob Laxton and Cliff Litton and Mr Robert Howard of the University of Nottingham's Tree Ring Dating Laboratory have revealed a construction date for the Newark Tithe Barn of around 1430. Although originally held by the incumbent of Newark parish for the collection and storage of his Rectoral tithes, following the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, the rights to collect such tithes in Newark was sold to a succession of local landowners. By the 1830's the Newark Tithe Barn had become part of the farm owned by Mr G A Lacy. His stackyard was located at the corner of Queen's Road and Appletongate. At the time this picture was taken in 1928, the barn was till being used for agricultural purposes on Lacy's Farm. In 1957, the tithe barn and its surrounding area were acquired by compulsory purchase by Newark Town Council. As part of its scheme to rid Newark of slum housing, the council decided that owing to 'deterioration beyond preservation' the tithe barn had to be demolished. Attempts to save the ancient structure by dismantling it and re-erecting it elsewhere were made by local campaigners - one such scheme even proposed offering it to the City Museum in Newark, New Jersey, although the cost of shipping the pieces across to the USA ultimately proved prohibitive. The barn was demolished in May 1960 (its last ignoble used having been as a depot for delivery lorries belonging to British Road Services, with the first residents of the new slats built in Tithe Barn Court, moving in the following March. The individual timbers of the barn were, however, saved and acquired by a local landowner who had plans to re-erect the barn as part of a private house on Beacon Heights in Newark. Little came of this plan, although the timbers remained on Beacon Hill in Newark until the mid 1970's. At the time of writing (2003) only a few timbers (much rotted) survive.

Date: 01/05/1960

Organisation Reference: NCCE004231

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