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).

With Alnwick being the rural town it is, transport links are incredibly important and so Alnwick's proximity to the A1 allows residents the opportunity to commute to the more industrial South East of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. There are a handful of sizeable firms in Alnwick employing large numbers - these include Greys of Alnwick, the House of Hardy, Sanofi Synthelabo. In Barter Books, Alnwick features one of the greatest Second hand bookshops in the country. Barter books can be found within the once thriving railway station building which became disused in the 1960s when the line was terminated. The building is quite impressive for a town the size of Alnwick. This was because the station was in constant use by the Royal Family on visits to the castle when the Duke & Duchess were in residence. The nearest rail link is now accessed at Alnmouth, two or three miles from Alnwick.

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.

Undoubtedly the most impressive of all of Alnwick's buildings is the castle around which the town was established. It is still the seat of the long line of Dukes of Northumberland, and home of the Alnwick Garden - project of the current Duchess of Northumberland. Along with being home to the Percy Family the castle acts as a base for Northumberland Estates, a seat of learning for college students from the USA studying in Europe and a world renowned visitor attraction. Due to it's fantastic condition and location, TV and Filmmakers have constantly thought it a suitable location for their productions. These include Robin Hood Prince of thieves, the Fast Show, Harry Potter, Yellow Submarine, Blackadder I, Elizabeth amongst hundreds of others.

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.

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.

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.