The Old White Hart
24 Market Pl, Newark NG24 1DU
This medieval timber-framed building is considered to be of national importance.
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Meet The Old White Hart Inn—a medieval marvel, a Civil War survivor, a fashion house, and a national treasure (without Nicolas Cage).
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Let’s start with the basics: this isn’t just any old building. According to architectural guru Niklaus Pevsner, it’s “one of the paramount examples of late fifteenth-century timber-framed architecture in England.” That’s the architectural equivalent of winning an Oscar.
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But this star had humble beginnings. The earliest part of the structure dates back to 1313, likely built as a home for a wealthy merchant or craftsman. By the late 14th century, it had been converted into an inn—because even in medieval times, location was everything.
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The Old White Hart isn’t just one building—it’s a trio of timbered greatness:
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The Front Range: A glorious, four-bay, three-storey showstopper from the 1460s, facing the Market Place like it owns it. Its decorative elevation features rows of tiny plaster saints tucked into canopied niches, like a medieval version of a celebrity wall. The small plaster figures depict Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Michael and Saint Barbara, repeated over and over.
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The Adjacent Wing: A 14th-century sidekick that once housed part of the great hall, later converted into guest bedrooms. Because even back then, people loved a good en suite.
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The Rear Hall: Also from the 14th century, this part of the building whispers of banquets, business deals, and possibly a few ghost stories.
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Boom! Civil War Chaos
In 1643, during the English Civil War, the Old White Hart took a direct hit from a ‘grenado’ (a mortar bomb, not a spicy tapas dish). Owner Thomas Atkinson, understandably upset, petitioned Parliament, claiming the house was in fine shape until “Newark was besieged by the Parliament’s forces and through a bumball or granado shott... a great part of the said howse was blowne upp and some were there slaine and others mortally wounded.”
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From Corsets to Collapse
Fast forward to 1847, when John Cotham Bainbridge—Mayor, draper, funeral furnisher (yes, really)—bought the building. He turned the top floor into a fashion workshop, employing 59 people (mostly women) as milliners and sempstresses. It was Newark’s answer to Paris Fashion Week.
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Later, the Atter brothers took over, producing Army uniforms during WWI and leasing out shops to high-end retailers. But by the 1960s, the building was in such a sorry state that demolition was seriously considered. Subsidence from 19th-century alterations had left the timber frame sagging like a tired corset.
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The Great Rescue
Enter the Nottingham Building Society, stage right. In 1979–80, they launched a heroic restoration campaign. The building was saved, the saints were spruced up, and the original colours of the façade were rediscovered. It was like giving a medieval supermodel a full makeover—without Botox.
Today, The Old White Hart stands proud as a Grade I-listed gem and a symbol of Newark’s rich heritage
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So next time you pass by, take a moment to admire the saints, salute the timber, and thank the visionaries who saved this national treasure.
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The Old White Hart isn’t just a building—it’s a survivor, a storyteller, and Newark’s most glamorous time traveler.
