The latest positive local news from Southwell & Newark: food and drink, nightlife, people, arts, sport and business stories from La Vida Nottingham.
A Victorian mansion in 15 acres near Newark, Eden Hall pairs turrets and walnut ceilings with a £4m spa garden, and in 2026 became Eden Hall by Hiddenwell as its parent company rebranded.
More than two centuries after Mary Ann Brailsford planted pips in her Southwell garden, the original Bramley apple tree still bears fruit, and the town celebrates it with an annual autumn festival.
Founded in 2014 by baritone Marcus Farnsworth, Southwell Music Festival now draws audiences of more than 3,500 and has launched new Palace Sessions concerts for autumn 2026.
A £2.2m project has protected Southwell Minster's celebrated 13th-century Chapter House carvings, adding lighting and a lift that makes the space fully accessible for the first time.
With its all-weather Tapeta track and National Hunt racing on turf, Southwell Racecourse near the historic minster town keeps horse racing going in Nottinghamshire through every season.
A new £2.5 million funding boost will open Newark Castle's long-closed dungeons as part of the Gatehouse Project, which will bring rebuilt rooms, galleries and a rooftop viewing platform.
Held every other month at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground, the Newark International Antiques and Collectors Fair bills itself as the largest event of its kind in Europe.