Alnwick

:For the parish in New Brunswick, see Alnwick, New Brunswick

Features

The town's greatest building is Alnwick Castle, the home of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland, and site of the Alnwick Garden; it dominates the west of the town, above the River Aln. The Castle is the hub of a number of commercial, educational and tourism operations. It houses American students studying in Europe; is the base of Northumberland Estates, the Duke's commercial enteprise; and is in its own right a tourist attraction. The castle is open from April to September, and the Gardens all year around.

Related Topics:
Alnwick Castle - Percy family - Alnwick Garden - American

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The centre of town is the marketplace, with its market cross, and the relatively modern Northumberland Hall, used as a meeting place. Surrounding the marketplace are the main shopping streets, Narrowgate, Fenkle Street, and Bongate Within. The last of these is a wide, spacious road fronted by attractive commercial buildings. In medieval times, Alnwick was a walled city, and one remain - Hotspur Tower, an ancient gate - is extant, dividing Bondgate Within from Bondgate Without, and restricting vehicles to a single lane used alternately in each direction. Pottergate Tower, at the other side of the town, also stands on the site of an ancient gate, but the tower itself was rebuilt in the 18th century. Its ornate spire was destroyed in a storm in 1812. Outside the line of the walls, the old railway station building is relatively ostentatious for such a small town, arising out of its frequently being used by royal travellers visiting the Duke and Alnwick Castle.

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The town has a thriving playhouse, a multi-purpose arts centre, which stages a hectic programme of theatre, dance, music, cinema, and visual arts exhibitions. In 2003, the Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre was opened on the southern outskirts of the enlarged town. More widely, the Alnwick district boasts a wealth of sporting and leisure facilities, including football, cricket, rugby, rambling, rock climbing, water sports, cycling and horse riding. Golfers can find thirteen golf courses within 30 minutes drive of the town.

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Major events in the Alnwick calendar include:

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• A Shrove Tuesday football match, known as Scoring the Hales is played on the fields below the castle between the parishes of St. Paul and St. Michaels. The ball is fetched from Alnwick Castle in procession, preceded by the Duke of Northumberland's piper. The game is won by whichever team is first to score 3 "hales" or goals.
• Alnwick Fayre, staged in the summer as a costumed re-enactment of a mediaeval fair in which residents of the town dress up in authentic costumes
• the Alnwick International Music Festival
• the Alnwick Castle Tournament ? a medieval jousting spectacular in the grounds of Alnwick Castle.

Other places of interest in and near the town include:

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• Brizlee Tower, a Grade 1 listed folly tower set atop a hill in Hulne Park, the Duke's walled estate, designed by Robert Adam in 1777 and erected in 1781 for Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland.
• the Hotspur Tower, part of the remains of the ancient town wall, and named for Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur, the eldest son of the 1st Earl of Northumberland and a major character in Henry IV, Part 1.
• the Nelson Memorial, Swarland, emphasising a local link to the admired Admiral.
• The White Swan Hotel, an 18th Century Coaching Inn that now houses the First Class Lounge and other fittings from the Titanic's near identical sister ship RMS Olympic
• the Northumberland Fusiliers Museum.
• the Pinfold, a stone circular structure within the centre of the town, built to imprison stray cattle.
• RAF Boulmer, which serves as the base for an air-sea rescue helicoptor, and has a role in early warning radar surveillance and communications, but which is threatened with closure.
• the Tenantry Column - much in the style of Nelson's Column, 83 feet tall and topped by the Percy Lion, symbol of the Percy family - designed by Charles Harper and erected for Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland in 1816.