ST MARY MAGDALENE
THE CHURCH 'CHIMNEY'
St Mary Magdalene is the parish church of Newark, a market town in Nottinghamshire
The church is a Grade I listed building and sits close to the town centre. The octagonal spire (236 ft. high), is the highest in Nottinghamshire and can be seen from most areas of the town. The first photograph shows the spire dominating the skyline from the historic market place.
The central piers remain from the previous church, dating from the 11th or 12th century. The upper parts of the tower and spire were completed about 1350; the nave dates from between 1384 and 1393, and the chancel from 1489.
The sanctuary is bounded on the south and north by two chantry chapels, the former of which has on one of its panels a remarkable painting from the Danse Macabre. There are a few old monuments, and an exceedingly fine brass of the 14th century. There is a hole in the spire which was supposedly made by a cannonball during the Civil War, although there is doubt locally as to the truth of the story. This hole is visible from some parts of the town centre.
During the mid 19th Century renowned architect Sir George Gilbert Scott was involved in the renovation, (Sir George being the grandfather of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott the designer of the Red Telephone Box).
The church is on the route of the Civil War Trail,
link here
The church also has a rather unusual chimney which stands across the footpath. A red plaque shows that the chimney was part of the church heating boiler built in 1854.
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