About Alnwick, Northumberland

Alnwick, Northumberland is currently the seat of the Percy family, who have held the town since 1309 when the town was handed over from the De Vescis - a family who had previously been in possession of the town for over two centuries. '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 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.

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

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.

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 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.

Amongst the other attractions in the town are Brizlee Tower, which is an ornate folly which looks down on Hulne park, the private estate which was designed by Robert Adam and built in the 18th century, The White Swan, a hotel, the original of which was built in the 1700s, and which features the lounge taken out of the Olympic, the sister ship from the Titanic when it was broken up after its sinking for fears of a repeat, the Northumberland Fusiliers museum which is housed in Alnwick Castle and the Percy tenantry column which was built in the 19th century in thanks to the Duke of Northumberland of the time.

The Shrove-tide football match is held annually on the banks of the river Aln overlooked by the castle on Shrove Tuesday. Two of the town's parishes compete to be the first to score 3 'hales' (goals). The match is kicked off by the Duke of Northumberland tossing the ball from the castle ramparts. Other annual events include an International music festival for which people travel from far and wide to take part, a re-enactment of a mediaeval fair where all attendees dress up in period outfits, and a mediaeval tournament which is held beneath the castle and comprises jousting and various other mediaeval entertainments

. 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.