Carriages

Newark Castle station, a grade two listed building dating from 1846, is on the former Midland Railway’s Nottingham to Lincoln line. Constructed in the Italianate style, it has been carefully restored, both inside and out. The booking office occupies the southern end, but most of the available interior space is now a comfortable café called Carriages [www.carriagesnewark.co.uk]. The interior décor includes the café’s own, in-house designed coat of arms, in true railway company heraldic tradition and set above the twin, central fireplaces.

The route served by the station has been up-graded since Castle Line re-signalling took place and there is now also a daily East Midlands train via the Castle station from Lincoln to London St Pancras. It seems to be an altogether busier scene, with the regular Immingham to Kingsbury oil tanker trains also rattling across the adjacent level crossing. This fine old building with its preserved, cobbled street station approach, is a credit to all those who ensured it was included in the redevelopment of the riverside area of the town.