Standing Building Recording

Date 30 May 2008 - 14 July 2008

Event ID 578238

Category Recording

Type Standing Building Recording

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/578238

NS 3281 7452 As part of an ongoing programme the roofs of the E and W bedchambers, the turrets of the N range, the roof of the gatehouse and the roof of the E range were recorded through measured drawing and textual descriptions of features between 30 May–14 July 2008. The completion of the survey of the roofs has confirmed the generally excellent survival of late 16th-century roofs at Newark Castle. This survey has also uncovered evidence of an earlier, previously unrecognised, phase of roof surviving over the gatehouse. This was constructed between the late 15th century and the late 16th century, before the roofs of the N Range and E Range.

The N Range and E Range roofs were constructed using a high proportion of timbers reused from a previous roof structure. The roof of the E range contains the only evidence of reused timber not from a roof, which has been pit sawn to create collars in the current arrangement. Though it is likely that the E range roof is late 16th-century, on the basis of its relationship with the masonry it is possible that this roof belongs to a later phase.

During the centuries following the construction of the roofs it is likely that there were some small repairs, but it

is remarkable that the next phase of widely visible work does not occur until the 20th century. It is possible that the Ministry of Works was responsible for the replacement of all the dormer window roofs and the E, NE, NW and W Turret roofs in the early 20th century; however, these may have been replaced in the mid to late 20th century, possibly along with the major structural changes to the E bedchamber roof and the subdivision of the upper floor of the E Range. Most of the sarking is 20th-century but late 16th-century sarking does survive in the W Turret roof, the Central Turret roof and in the Central portion of the N Range roof.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Historic Scotland

Information fromSarah Hogg (Kirkdale Archaeology) 28 November 2008.

OASIS ID: kirkdale1-60211