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 centre of town is the market square which is built around a market cross, & the Northumberland Hall which is used as a meeting place. Surrounding the market square is the main shopping area. the streets of Narrowgate, Fenkle Street, and Bondgate Within. The latter of which is a wide, cobbled road fronted by attractive buildings. In mediaeval times, the town was walled and one of the original gatehouses, Hotspur tower, remains. This divides Bondgate Within from Bondgate Without & restricting vehicles to single file. It was named for Sir Henry Percy (also called Harry Hotspur) son of the 1st Earl of Northumberland - a character in Henry IV, Part I.

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.

Another fine building in the town centre is the gothic Pottergate tower. This is a beautiful ornate gatehouse was built in the eighteenth century on the site of the original gate. It once had an elegant spire, but this proved to be quite delicate and was destroyed a short time after it was built by a storm. The Playhouse is an all purpose arts centre, which contains a theatre, a cinema and a gallery. The weekly newspaper is the Northumberland Gazette which covers the town and the district & they have their head office in the town. Alnwick has numerous opportunites for leisure & sports which include the new Willowburn leisure centre, football rugby and cricket clubs. Because of the nature of the area there is also scope for rock climbing, walking, water sports, horse riding, cycling & there are also dozens of golf courses in the area.

There are numerous memorials around Alnwick dedicated to the countless wars between the Percy family and the Scots. On a hill facing the castle on the north bank sits a large stone cross which commemorates the killing of King Malcolm III of Scotland whilst invading on the outskirts of the town. Near the entrance to Hulne Park an engraved memorial records the place where William of Scotland was siezed by Odinel de Umfraville in the 1100s. Others exist.

Other places of interest in Alnwick include Brizlee Tower - a Grade 1 listed folly overlooking Hulne Park, the Duke's walled estate, designed by Robert Adam & erected in 1781 for the 1st Duke of Northumberland, The White Swan Hotel, a Coaching Inn from the 18th century which now houses the First Class Lounge and other items from the RMS Olympic - sister ship to the Titanic, the Northumberland Fusiliers Museum, the 83 feet tall Tenantry Column, topped by the Percy Lion (the symbol of the Percy family) which was designed by Charles Harper and built in 1816 to honour the 2nd Duke of Northumberland.

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.