IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Boar Lane, NEWARK, NG24 1AJ

Grade II listed c1800 house and warehouse on Boar Lane

An interesting contrast with 3½ years earlier http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1136081 as the legibility of the painted sign on Boar Lane http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3214187 has deteriorated

Largely indecipherable - there might be two signs here. "T. RICHMOND & SON/GENERAL COOPERS[?] ... /CHURCH STREET/ ... / REPAIRS A SPECIALITY".

Ghost sign in Boar Lane

Dating from the middle 20th century, this is an archaic form of road signage, dating from before the 1964 Worboys report. I am not sure this is entirely relevant any longer, because Boar Lane seems to be pedestrianised. It is just now a historical object, and I hope it remains. It can be seen in location at Image

Now an art gallery, this building with an archway in Boar Lane dates to the early 20th century. It is also the context for the old sign seen in Image below the nearest window.

Birthplace of James Gresham Born in Newark, Nottinghamshire, on 28 December 1836: died Ashton on Mersey 13 January 1914. Educated at Newark Grammar School. Inventor of improvements to steam locomotives. During training as an artist at South Kensington he was advised by W.P. Frith (famous as painter of The Railway Station, 1862) to take up mechanical drawing. This brought him into contact with engineering and gave scope for his inventive talent. From 1857 he worked as draughtsman for Sharp, Stewart & Co, Manchester on locomotive design, including improvements to brakes. He. also applied his inventive genius to textile machinery. In 1864 he began improving the Giffard injector by making the combining cone adjustable relative to the steam cone. This was patented in conjunction with John Robinson who was a partner in the firm. In 1865 Gresham left Sharp, Stewart and after a period in London started a works in Manchester in 1866 to manufacture sewing machines and injectors. He was joined by Thomas Craven and J. S. Heron, but in 1880 when Heron died the title of the firm became Gresham & Craven Ltd In 1877 Gresham took out his first patent for improvements in the vacuum brake injector. This was followed by many patents concerning the vacuum brake. Together with the Derby works manager, Francis Holt, Gresham developed from 1885 the first steam sanding gear, much more effective in adverse conditions than gravity sanding. He had originally intended to use Westinghouse brake equipment to supply the jet, but Westinghouse refused permission for this, and so ended that firm's chances of persuading the Midland Railway to adopt the Westinghouse brake. By overcoming driving wheel slip this gave a new lease of life for the single driver type engine. In 1889 he took out his first patent for railway passenger communication, consisting of a glass disc, breakage of which admitted air to the train pipe. Elected MIME 1880, MICE 1.12.1885. He was also JP, an art collector, and he presented a statue of King Edward VII to Manchester Corporation. Patents 2784/1864 with John Robinson injector improvements 3169/1867 injector improvements http://www.steamindex.com/

One of the medieval streets that make walking round Newark such a pleasure. Most of the buildings are, of course, Victorian or even early 20th century. But the streetplan is far older. Look how the road aligns on the Gilstrap Library, itself built on a former open space in front of the Castle. This is a very old alignment between the Castle and the market place.

A postie crosses the Castlegate end of Boar Lane, with Gilstrap Library beyond