About Alnwick, Northumberland
The town of Alnwick in Northumberland is the home of the Percy family, and the Dukes of
Northumberland. The Percys took up their seat in Alnwick Castle after being handed the town in 1309 by the De Vesci family, who had
held power for over two hundred years.
Country Life magazine once stated that the historic town of Alnwick
in Northumberland is the best place to live in Britain. With seven thousand inhabitants it is approximately thirty miles from Scotland, and
five miles from the coast at the mouth of the river Aln. The history of the town goes back to the 6th century and though much of the
town was burnt to the ground by invating Scots in the 1400s it has thrived as a successful market town.
Built around the impressive
castle at the heart of the town, and the seat of the Earls of Northumberland, it was a staging post on the main trunk road between the
capitals of England and Scotland. Alnwick still retains its historic character despite its development, and now thrives as being a small
town within commutable distance of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the more industrial South-East Northumberland. It has twin towns of
Bryne, Lagny and Voerde in Norway, France and Germany respectively.
With Newcastle upon Tyne being an hour's drive away, many of the predominantly rural population of Alnwick work in the city,
however there are several noteable employers including Sanofi Synthelabo - a pharmeceuticals company, Hardy's of Alnwick who make
high calibre fishing rods, and Northumberland Estates which is an agicultural operation run by the Duke. The old railway station now
houses Barter Books, which is now one of the biggest used books shop in Europe. The rather grand railway station was in use until the
late sixties when the line closed. This grandeur owes to the Royal family having regularly used the station when visiting the Duke of
Northumberland at the castle. The rail network can now be accessed via the Alnmouth railway station which lies around five miles west
of the town towards the coast.
In the heart of Alnwick is the Marketplace which centres around an ancient market cross. One of the sides of the marketplace is made up
by one wall of the relatively modern Northumberland Hall, a grand multi-purpose building which houses the newly established Lionheart
radio station. The streets around the marketplace form the CBD of the town. Amongst the most noteable are Fenkle Street, Narrowgate,
& Bondgates Within and Without, which vary from being wide cobbled areas to narrow lanes barely wide enough for a single vehicle.
The town was once surrounded by a defensive wall, and one of the original gates exists to this day. The Hotspur tower was named after
Harry Hotspur, an Earl of Northumberland who featured in Shakespeare.
the castle which casts its shadow over Alnwick is seat of the house of Percy and the Dukes of Northumberland. It is also adjoined to the recent Alnwick Garden development, which includes an impressive Treehouse restaurant which takes inspiration from JRR Tolkein's Rivindell. From the castle, the Duke of Northumberland operates Northumberland Estates, and it is a study centre for students from the US studying in Europe. Primarily though it acts as a tourist attraction. Open all thoughout the summer, it is second in size only to Windsor Castle, and it's appearance has prompted many people to describe it as the Windsor of the North. Because of its condition and stature, the castle has prompted many TV & film makers to use it as a setting for huge hollywood blockbusters. These include Kevin Costner's Robin Hood, Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett and Judy Dench, and most recently it starred as Hogwart's school in the Harry Potter films.
Other noteable buildings within the town walls include Pottergate tower - a fine example of gothic architecture which stands on the site of one of the original gatehouses to the town. It once featured a tall spire which was lost when the town suffered a particularly violent storm in the 19th century. To the south of the town centre there is an arts centre 'The Playhouse'. This features an exhibition space, theatre venue and a cinema.
News in Alnwick is reported by its very own Newspaper for the town and Alnwick district - the Northumberland Gazette which is
published weekly and has its offices in the town. Alnwick and district provides excellent sports and leisure opportunities including a
number of spectacular golf courses in all sorts of terrain, along with all manner of sporting clubs - football, rugby, cricket, horse riding,
water sports, walking - this list is endless.
Across the town in various different locations are structures dedicated to the numerous wars between the Percys and the Scots. On the north side of the river Aln there is a memorial to where King Malcolm of Scotland was killed in the 11th century, and a little way along the river, a stone structure marks the spot where William the Lion was taken prisoner by Odinel De Umfraville in the 12th century.
Other areas of note within Alnwick town include Brizlee tower, a gothic tower which overlooks the Duke's private estate. This was designed by architect Robert Adam and built in 1781 for the 1st Duke, The White Swan Hotel which was once a coach house in the 18th century, and which is now a luxury hotel in which you can find the lounge from the sister ship to the Titanic, the Olympic. This is identical to the once that lies on the bottom of the sea off Newfoundland. Inside Alnwick Castle is the Northumberland Fusiliers museum, and on the south side of the town lies the Percy tenantry column which was built in 1816 in thanks to the 2nd Duke of Northumberland keeping land rental prices low.
Each year, a football match is contested between the parishes of st. Paul and st. Michael on the pastured land below Alnwick Castle. It
takes place on Shrove Tuesday and kicks off with the Duke of Northumberland pitching the ball down from the battlements of the castle.
Once a team scores 3 goals, or hales, then the match is won. Other yearly events include the Alnwick Castle tournament which is a
mediaeval spectacular involving jousting, fire eating and juggling, held below the castle, Alnwick Fair, which takes place each summer
and is a costumed fair which hopes to replicate an authentic mediaeval event, and an International Music festival which attracts acts
festival which attracts acts
from all over the world.
Airy is just one of the famous people to have been born in the town. Others include philosoper Bernard Bosanquet, and Ralph Tate, who was a leading light in the field of geology. |
