Our plan had been to return to Selby Boat Centre for our winter mooring, but gradually more and more reasons for being further south presented themselves so we have decided to winter at Wigrams Turn Marina in the Midlands. We had made many friends whilst being in Selby, especially Sylvia and Pete and Doreen and we would miss them, so Jacquie caught the train from Newark on Monday morning to Selby to stay a couple of days with Sylvia and to catch up with Pete and Doreen and to say Hi to Simon and co. at the Boat Centre.
I was left to look after Duggie and ensure that he presented himself to the dog groomers on time, at the ungodly hour of 8.30 on Wednesday morning. I also had to work my way through a list of boat jobs, but I did have enough time left over to continue exploring Newark.
There is supposed to be a visible hole in the church steeple left behind by a Roundhead cannonball, but despite my efforts I couldn’t see it, maybe the bright sunshine masked it from me. I also visited the Queens Sconce, to the south of the town, a remarkably preserved defensive earthworks built to protect the town from the Parliamentarians. The defences worked well, the town resisting two sieges, only surrendering during the third siege after Charles 1st surrendered and ordered the Governor of Newark to do likewise. The Roundhead army moved on quickly after blowing up the castle from fear of the plague that had beset the town, they left orders that the Sconce be destroyed, but it is thought that the population was too weakened to carry out the orders and hence the earth works are so intact.
Jacquie returned to me late Wednesday afternoon laden with goodies, naughty Sylvia and naughty Ann-Marie for the lovely Danish cheeses, thank you so much, they are delicious.
On Thursday on our way out to stock up at the nearby supermarket Jacquie admired the polished and very shiny port side of the boat and asked when I intended to do the other side, typical, never satisfied!! A last whizz around the town included a visit to the Town Hall, there is a small museum on the second floor, accessed by a lift just inside the entrance to The Butter Market and a steward was more than happy to show us around the Mayoral chambers, his robing room and parlour and the exquisite ball room decorated in a Wedgewood/Adams style, well worth a visit, and then we were ready to leave Kings Marina first thing next morning.
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