About Alnwick, Northumberland
Once a held by the De Vesci family for several centuries at the dawn of the second millenium, Alnwick Northumberland was handed on to the house of Percy in 1309. The
Percys are still seated in the castle at the centre of the town.
'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).
Alnwick being
inherantly rural by nature, the city of Newcastle is easily commuted to by both road and rail and so much of the town's number work
elsewhere. There are a number of large acclaimed employers in the town, which include the fishing rod manufacturer House of Hardy &
the research and testing facility Sanofi. Alnwick also boasts one of the biggest second hand book stores in Europe. The main east-coast
railway line is situated around 4 miles along the river Aln and can be accessed via the Alnmouth for Alnwick railway station. The town
once had its own rail link, but this ceased in '68 because of the terminal nature of the line and the lack of opportunity for it to be
developed. The building itself is incredibly ornate, which is due to the station's frequent use by royals visiting the Percys at Alnwick Castle.
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.
To the north of the town sits Alnwick Castle, which protected the town from invaders from the North across hundreds of years. To this
day the castle is inhabited by the Percys. The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland currently sit in residence at the castle making it the
second largest inhabited castle in the country after Windsor Castle. The Alnwick Garden project sits within the grounds of the castle, and
is a visitor attraction in its own right. Open all year its majesty has received worldwide acclaim. the castle also acts as a headquarters
for the Duke of Northumberland's business operation Northumberland Estates, as a university campus for students from St. Cloud
university in Minnesota, USA, and attracts thousands of tourists each year from across the globe. the castle and its grounds have also
received worldwide attention on the silver screen. It has featured in dozens of movies and television programmes. These include Harry
Potter and the Chamber of secrets, Blackadder, Robin Hood prince of thieves, The fast show, & Elizabeth.
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 Northumberland Gazette is a weekly newspaper which covers the Alnwick district and who has its main office in the town centre. The town also has countless leisure and sports facilities which include a brand new leisure centre, football rugby and cricket clubs and pitches. There is also the opportunity for rock climbing, walking, water sports, cycling and equestrianism. There are also upwards of fifteen golf courses within a short distance of the town.
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.
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.
Born in Alnwick were Astronomer Royal George Biddell-Airy, the geologist Ralph Tate, & world renowned philosopher Bernard Bosanquet.
|
