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.
'The best place to live in Britain' was how Country Life magazine
described this beautiful market town in October '02. With a population of just under 8,000 it lies a short distance from the border with
Scotland in Berwick-upon-Tweed and a mere four or five miles along the river Aln from the coast with the North Sea at the mouth of the
river in Alnmouth. Records of Alnwick date back to the sixth century AD, and despite scottish marauders almost entirely obliterating the
town with fire in the 15th century, the town has gone from strength to strength in its development as a rural market town.
At the core of
the town is the castle which once prompted the town to be described as 'The Windsor of the North', and is today the home of the Duke
and Duchess of Northumberland. The town sits just off the A1 - the main road link between Edinburgh and London, and now exists as a
commuter location being within travelling distance of both Morpeth and the nearest city, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne & Wear. Because
Alnwick has held on to its "quintessential Englishness" it attracts thousands of tourists. It has sister towns in Bryne (Norway), Lagny
(France) and Voerde (Germany).
Largely a rural community, Alnwick now lies within commutable distance of the nearest city, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne & has a large
commuter population. Some major employers in Alnwick include House of Hardy, world-renowned makers of fly-fishing tackle, Greys of
Alnwick, also world-renowned makers of fly-fishing tackle, Northumberland Estates, the Duke of Northumberland's agricultural, forestry
and property interests, Barter Books, one of the largest second-hand book shops in Europe, & Sanofi Synthelabo, a large pharmaceutical
research and testing centre. The main East Coast railway link runs via the nearby Alnmouth for Alnwick Station. Alnwick was once
connected to the main line by the Alnwick branch line, however, this was closed in January 1968. The old station building now houses
Barter Books - a vast collection of used books available to buy. The old railway station building is particularly grand for a town of its size.
Its grandeur stems from is frequently being used by royals visiting the Duke of Northumberland in residence at the castle.
At the very core of the town centre is a once thriving cobbled Marketplace which acted as a venue for the cattle market which was the
main industry of the town. Beautiful little picture postcard streets such as Fenkle Street, Pottergate and Narrowgate surround the
marketplace, many of which are cobbled, and all of which are lined by charismatic period buildings. Historically, Alnwick was surrounded
by a defensive wall to stave off attacks from invaders, but this wall has since been almost completely demolished, and only one of the
majestic gatehouses survice. Hotspur tower as it is known was built at the turn of the second millenium and derives its name from the
2nd earl of Northumberland, known as Harry Hotspur, who gained notoriety as a key combattant in William Shakespeare's Henry the 4th
Part 1
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.
Pottergate tower is a beautiful tower built in the eighteen hundreds where the original stone gate once stood. Atop Pottergate tower there was once an elaborate structure which was unfortunately destroyed in bad weather shortly after it was erected. Near to the other gatehouse, The Hotspur Tower, is situated The Playhouse, which is an arts venue which hosts music, dance & theatre productions as well as being a cinema and exhibition space.
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.
Brizlee tower is just one of the dozens of other dedicated buildings across the town. It sits on a ridge in Hulne park and acts as a beacon which would be lit whenever anything of note happened so that the people of the town were made aware of it. Designed by Robert Adam it was completed in the 1780s. The White Swan Hotel contains the lounge and fittings from the RMS Olympic which was identical to the RMS Titanic and the RMS Gigantic (in the same fleet) which were broken up after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 for fears of a flaw in either the design or build and that the same would happen to them. The Northumberland Fuiliers museum is located within Alnwick Castle. The Percy tenantry column is an erection to thank the 2nd Duke of Northumberland for giving them a rent reduction during a time of particular hardship for farmers. This column has the Percy lion at its very top - the emblem of the Percy family.
A Shrove Tuesday football match is played beneath the shadow of Alnwick Castle between the parishes of st. Paul' and St. Michael's.
The ball is thrown from the castle walls and the game is won by whichever team is first to score 3 "hales" or goals. Alnwick Fair is held
annually & is a costumed re-enactment of a mediaeval fair in which the townsfolk of Alnwick dress up in period costumes. Alnwick also
hosts an international music festival, and a mediaeval Tournament – a jousting spectacular on the pastures overlooked by the castle.
Alnwick has several famous sons. These include Bernard Bosanquet the philosopher, George Biddel Airy who established the system by which time was measured worldwide, and centres around GMT, and Ralph Tate the world famous geologist.
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