Group's bid for cash to 'bring castle to life'

A GROUP is looking to land funding to help bring Newark Castle and its gardens to life with artefacts and period furnishings to support the site's ongoing multi-million pound restoration.

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Work to restore Newark Castle's gatehouse, complete with an accessible ramp and galleries, began at the start of this month.

Costs had risen to more than £6m, with Newark and Sherwood District Council funding an expected £1m shortfall.

The Romanesque gatehouse is considered by Historic England to be one of the finest examples in the country, and the authority says the project is "essential" to conserve the landmark. Friends of Newark Castle and Victorian Gardens, which has been working with the council on the castle restoration, has further planned a £580,000 interpretation project to help "bring the site to life". The project will use artefacts, period furnishings, audio-visual techniques and replica features to help visitors better interpret what the castle would have been like hundreds of years ago.