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. According to Country Life in 2002, the picturesque market town of Alnwick in Northumberland is "the best place to live in Great Britain". With a population of around 7,000 it is located 32 miles south of the Scottish border & 5 miles inland from the North Sea at Alnmouth. It lies at 55°25 00 N, 01°42 00 W upon the river Aln & dates back to approximately 600AD and despite much of the town being razed to the ground in 1424 by Scottish invaders, over the centuries it has thrived as an agricultural town, the location of Alnwick Castle and home of the Earls of Northumberland, as a stopping place on the Great North Road between Edinburgh & London.

Despite it's recent growth it still has much of its original character. Most recently it has become a modern rural communter town. It is twinned with Bryne in Norway, Lagny-sur-Marne in France and the German town Voerde. 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

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.

Because of the proximity of Alnwick to the Scottish border wars between the Percy family representing the English and the Scots were commonplace in Alnwick. At every turn across the town there are memorials to these wars, one of which can be found on the riverbank facing Alnwick Castle which celebrates the slaying of King Malcolm of Scotland in 1093 on that very spot, and another on the lead up to Hulne Park is a memorial to the place where William the Lion of Scotland was captured by the English armies in the 12th century.

Other areas of note within Alnwick town include Brizlee tower, a gothic tower which overlooks the Duke's private estate. This was designed by architect Robert Adam and built in 1781 for the 1st Duke, The White Swan Hotel which was once a coach house in the 18th century, and which is now a luxury hotel in which you can find the lounge from the sister ship to the Titanic, the Olympic. This is identical to the once that lies on the bottom of the sea off Newfoundland. Inside Alnwick Castle is the Northumberland Fusiliers museum, and on the south side of the town lies the Percy tenantry column which was built in 1816 in thanks to the 2nd Duke of Northumberland keeping land rental prices low. 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. Amongst the famous people born in Alnwick are George Biddell Airy who was the Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881, The philosopher Bernard Bosanquet, and the geologist Ralph Tate.