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. 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.

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

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.

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. News in Alnwick is reported by its very own Newspaper for the town and Alnwick district - the Northumberland Gazette which is published weekly and has its offices in the town. Alnwick and district provides excellent sports and leisure opportunities including a number of spectacular golf courses in all sorts of terrain, along with all manner of sporting clubs - football, rugby, cricket, horse riding, water sports, walking - this list is endless. All over Alnwick are memorials to the frequent wars between the Percys and the Scots. A cross across the river from the castle marks the spot where Malcolm III of Scotland was killed in 1093. At the side of Rotten Row leading up to Hulne Park a tablet marks the location where William the Lion of Scotland was captured by Odinel de Umfraville 1174. There are dozens of other similar monuments and memorials.

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.

Every year on shrove Tuesday a football match is played between the two parishes of the town on the pastures below the foot of the castle. The ball is thrown by the Duke from the walls of the castle and the winning team is the first to score 3 goals (or hales as they are known). Also annually is Alnwick Fair, a recreation of a medieval fair where everyone dressed up in medieval dress. Alnwick can also boast an International music festival with participants from across the globe, and a medieval jousting tournament which is held in the shadow of Alnwick Castle.

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.