Corn exchange, at W end of Stodman St. (1)
Italian Baroque style building, 1847. 3 large entrances with shell ornament. Angled off main line of Castlegate - apparently for the view. Now in new use as a bingo hall it has retained its original form. See NIAR archive file for detailed description. (2)
The 19th century saw some redevelopment along the north-east side of …[Castlegate], with the creation of two notable institutional buildings, the Corn Exchange and the Gilstrap Library which, unusually for the town, are built of sandstone. …designed by the Derby architect Henry Duesbury, had a principal elevation of Derbyshire Sandstone, which would have to have been transported to Newark either by river or rail. Prominently situated on Castle Gate, this opened a year after the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 which marked a decisive shift away from protectionist measures restricting the import of foreign grain. Its construction also coincided with the railway boom, making not only the transport of grain, along with other goods including building materials, both easier and cheaper.
The Corn Exchange was constructed in 1847 to the designs of Henry Duesbury. The sculptures of Agriculture and Commerce are by the noted sculptor John Bell (1811-95). Duesbury was the Borough Architect for Derby and his work at the Derby Guildhall (1842) shares several characteristics with the Corn Exchange. There Duesbury remodelled the façade and the interior as well as adding a square tower topped with a cupola. This feature is repeated on the Corn Exchange, though the tower is shorter with pedimented gables. Duesbury also worked with John Bell at Derby, where Bell produced relief panels for the front elevation. …executed in an Italian Baroque style with giant Corinthian double pilasters flaking the triple entrances. Such buildings were a typical 19th-century addition to larger towns but has a particular significance in Newark given its association with both malting and brewing. Grain is a recurring motif on the Corn Exchange appearing in relief panels to either side of the central alcove, in scalloped reliefs above each of the doors, and draped over the oculus on each face of the tower. …historic mapping shows previously had landscaped terraced gardens extending back to the river. …converted into a nightclub in 1994 but was vacant from 2011 until it reopened as a nightclub in 2023. (3)

Data Held: Ground Photograph (Ground photograph). SNT2646.

2 prints, 203y/17,30, RCHME; N15 16/17, SMR

Listed buildings slides, 3 slides (Photograph). SNT2648.

<1> OS, 1920, 1:2500, County Series 1920 (Map). SNT1029.

Other Refs: 35/3

<2> TPAT, 1993, NIAR Gazetteer, p 81 (Published document). SNT252.

<3> Historic England, 2024, Newark on Trent, Historic Area Assessment by Historic England (Unpublished document). SNT6029.