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This was one of a pair of fortifications erected to help defend the town against Parliamentary forces during the Civil War. The other no longer exists, but this one is probably the most complete Civil War fortification remaining in the country.
I suggest you look first at the plan of the structure (click on the thumbnail on the left above). The four corner bastions, such as those marked "A" and "B", are the highest points, with the ramparts connecting them only slightly lower. The inner square is several feet below this, so that those within were out of sight of any attackers, while within the square there is a smaller, steep-sided depression. Surrounding these bastions and ramparts is a ditch, although the outer boundary of the ditch is much lower than any of the structure within it, and is at the same level as the surrounding land. There was at one time a brick bridge across the ditch, half-way along the northernmost side.
The plan marks the points from which the two photos were taken:
The first was taken from the point marked "A" on the plan, and is looking diagonally across the top of the structure. The spire of the distant parish church can be seen on the horizon at the left of the photo, and bushes can be seen growing on the left side of the small central depression mentioned above, right in the centre of the picture.
The second was taken from the point marked "B", looking towards point "A", and shows the upper part of the inner side of the outer defensive ditch on the left and a little of the central square half way up on the right.
This ancient cross stood for centuries at the junction which (still) bears the same name, where the Great North Road (London Road to the south and Lombard Street to the north) meets Albert Street (now the main road to Leicester and Nottingham) and Carter Gate, a central shopping street. To improve traffic flow, it was moved in ? to Beaumond Gardens, where theses two photos were taken on 9th December 2000. It was once thought that it might be one of the Eleanor Crosses, so called because they marked the stopping places of the body of Queen Eleanor on its journey from Lincoln to London for burial in ?, but this is no longer believed to be the case. Nevertheless, it is an ancient monument, thought to date from about ?, and was for long a focal point in the town.
In the photo on the left, the spire of the parish church can be seen just to the right of the cross, emerging above the roofs of closer buildings.
The Great North Road to the north of the town towards Muskham crosses low-lying land between the two branches of the River Trent, and was frequently blocked by flooding. To put a stop to this problem, in 1770 the road was raised on a long series of arches, of which a few are shown here. This photo (13,514 bytes) was taken on 13th July 2003.
These iron gates on London Road were manufactured in Newark, making an impressive and very decorative entrance to the cemetery. This photo (32,543 bytes) was taken on 14th September 2002.
This view, part way down the path from the gates, shows what an attractive, park-like place this unusual cemetery is. The arch joining the two mortuary rooms can just be seen through the trees in the distance. This photo (33,588 bytes) was taken on 14th September 2002.
These photos (21,232 and 30,995 bytes respectively) show the pleasant tree-surrounded position of this little building, but also reveal how the trees make it difficult to photograph! It is in fact in two separate rooms joined by an arch, with the little spire on top of the arch. It is located just about in the centre of the original cemetery, prior to considerable recent extensions at the far end from the main entrance. The first picture was taken on 14th September 2002 and the second on 2nd November 2002.
Many Polish casualties of World War 2 were buried in this special section (which lies just beyond the mortuary rooms), including their leader General Sikorsky, whose remains were relatively recently returned to Poland. This photo (27,690 bytes) was taken on 2nd November 2002.
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