Sconce and Devon Park
Sconce and Devon Park is a park in
King Charles I based at Newark Castle. It is a listed ancient monument. The park has a visitor centre, local nature reserve
and it is part of a civil war trail through the town.
Facilities
There are large areas of open grass and woodlands which includes Devon Pastures
Local Nature Reserve
, a children's play area, a civil war trail, a cafe, a football centre with 2 adult and 4 mini-soccer pitches, a park ranger service, a fitness trail, a wildlife pond,
a English Oak, willow and English Elm. There are two meadows which support grass species and marsh vegetation that are part of the Local Nature Reserve. An orchard has damson, blackthorn, plum and apple trees.[2]
Queen's Sconce
Held by the Royalists, Newark-on-Trent played a major role in the First English Civil War, located on the last crossing point of the River Trent and at the intersection of the Great North Road and Fosse Way it was strategically important. The stronghold was centred on Newark Castle and was besieged three times before it succumbed, at the King's instruction, in May 1646. The sieges resulted in extensive siegeworks built by both sides.[3]
Construction
The
bastions project from the south, south west, north and north east. The corners of the ramparts are interpreted as platforms for firing artillery. The ramparts and bastions are enclosed by a ditch up to 21m wide and 3.6m to 4.5m deep. A counterscarp bank about 0.7m in height running along the south eastern and north eastern edge of the ditch shows the location of a palisade which contemporary accounts suggest originally enveloped the sconce.[5] It was built using gravel from the River Devon[2] and it is star-shaped when viewed from above.[6]
References
- ^ [email protected], Newark and Sherwood District Council. "Sconce and Devon Park Newark". www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk.
- ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Sheffield, University of (10 November 2021). "Newark - Research - Archaeology - The University of Sheffield". www.sheffield.ac.uk.
- ^ "Newark Castle and the Queen's Sconce - Midlands - Castles, Forts and Battles". www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk.
- ^ Historic England. "Queen's Sconce, Newark (1016150)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Sconce and Devon Park - Visit Nottinghamshire". www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk.