Alnwick

Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116.

The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea at Alnmouth and north of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The town dates to about AD 600 and thrived as an agricultural centre. Alnwick Castle was the home of the most powerful medieval northern baronial family, the Earls of Northumberland. It was a staging post on the Great North Road between Edinburgh and London. The town centre has changed relatively little, but the town has seen some growth, with several housing estates covering what had been pasture and new factory and trading estate developments along the roads to the south.

History

The name ''Alnwick'' comes from the Old English ''wic'' ('dairy farm, settlement') and the name of the river Aln.

The history of Alnwick is the history of the castle and its lords, starting with Gilbert Tyson, written variously as "Tison", "Tisson", and "De Tesson", one of William the Conqueror's standard-bearers, upon whom this northern estate was bestowed. It was held by the De Vesci family (now spelt "Vasey" – a name found all over south-east Northumberland) for over 200 years and then passed into the hands of the House of Percy in 1309.

At various points in the town are memorials of the constant wars between Percys and Scots, in which so many Percys spent the greater part of their lives. A cross near Broomhouse Hill across the river from the castle marks the spot where Malcolm III of Scotland was killed during the first Battle of Alnwick. At the side of the broad shady road called Ratten Row, leading from the West Lodge to Bailiffgate, a stone tablet marks the spot where William the Lion of Scotland was captured during the second Battle of Alnwick by a party of about 400 mounted knights, led by Ranulf de Glanvill.

Hulne Priory, outside the town walls in Hulne Park, the Duke of Northumberland's walled estate, was a monastery founded in the 13th century by the Carmelites; it is said that the site was chosen for some slight resemblance to Mount Carmel where the order originated.

In 1314, Sir John Felton was governor of Alnwick. In winter 1424, much of the town was burnt by a Scottish raiding party. Again in 1448, the town was burnt by a Scottish army led by William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas and George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus. There was a Church of Scotland congregation in Alnwick in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Sir Thomas Malory mentions Alnwick as a possible location for Lancelot's castle Joyous Garde.

A Royal Air Force distribution depot was constructed at Alnwick during the Second World War with four main fuel storage tanks (total capacity 1700 tons) and road and rail loading facilities. The tanks were above ground and surrounded by concrete. The site was closed in the 1970s, and its demolition and disposal were completed in 1980.

The Alnwick by-pass takes the A1 London–Edinburgh trunk road around the town. It was started in 1968.

Geography

Alnwick lies at (55.417,
-1.700) ¹. The River Aln forms its unofficial northern boundary.

Governance

Historically, the town was partly within the Bamburgh Ward and Coquetdale Ward and later included in the East Division of Coquetdale Ward in 1832. George Tate
''The History of the Borough, Castle, and Barony of Alnwick''
(Vol. 1). Alnwick: Henry Hunter Blair, 1866. Alnwick Town Hall was the home of the common council of Alnwick. By the time of the 2011 Census, an electoral ward covering only part of Alnwick parish existed. The total population of this ward was 4,766.

Economy

Some major or noteworthy employers in the town are:
* Barter Books, one of the largest second-hand bookshops in England, set in the town's former railway station
* Quotient Sciences Alnwick, a large pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and testing centre
* NFU Mutual, provider of insurance, pensions, investments
* Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Education

Secondary schools in Alnwick include The Duchess's Community High School.

Landmarks

The town's greatest building is Alnwick Castle, one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland, and site of The Alnwick Garden.

The town centre is the marketplace, with its market cross, and the relatively modern Northumberland Hall, used as a meeting place.

The Alnwick Playhouse is a thriving multi-purpose arts centre that stages theatre, dance, music, cinema, and visual arts productions.

In 2003, the Willowburn Leisure Centre was opened on the southern outskirts of the enlarged town (replacing the old sports centre located by the Lindisfarne Middle School and the now-demolished Youth Centre).

Alnwick's museum, Bailiffgate Museum, is close to the Bailiffgate entrance to the castle. Its collection is specifically dedicated to local social history. The museum has recently had a major refit funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Its collection includes a variety of agricultural objects, domestic items, railway items, coal mining artefacts, printing objects, a sizeable photographic collection, paintings and a range of activities for children.

Other places of interest in and near the town include:

* Brizlee Tower, a Grade I listed folly tower on 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.
* Camphill Column, an 1814 construction celebrating British victories in Europe, and possibly erected as a reaction against the French Revolution.
* the Bondgate Tower, also known as the Hotspur Tower, part of the remains of the ancient town wall and named after Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur, the eldest son of the 1st Earl of Northumberland.
* The Nelson Memorial, Swarland, emphasising a local link to the admired Admiral.
* the Tenantry Column—much in the style of Nelson's Column, tall and topped by the Percy Lion, the symbol of the Percy family—designed by Charles Harper and erected for Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland in 1816 in gratitude to the Duke.
* the White Swan Hotel, an 18th-century coaching inn that now houses the First Class Lounge and other fittings from the ''Titanic'' near-identical sister ship RMS ''Olympic''.
* the Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland, found within Alnwick Castle.
* St Michael's Church on Bailiffgate, a Grade II listed building dating from the 15th century with fragments from the 12th century.
* RAF Boulmer was an airfield during World War II. It now has a role in early warning radar surveillance and communications.
* The Fenkle Street drill hall converted from a library in 1887.

Sport

*Alnwick RFC
* Alnwick Town A.F.C.

Events

Alnwick Fair was an annual costumed event, held each summer from 1969 to 2007, recreating some of the appearance of medieval trading fairs and 17th century agricultural fairs. It has now been discontinued.

Transport

Road

Alnwick lies adjacent to the A1, the main national north–south trunk road, providing easy access to Newcastle upon Tyne ( south) and Edinburgh ( north).

Rail

The East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh (journey time approximately 1:10) and London (journey time approximately 3:45) runs through Alnmouth for Alnwick Stationabout awaywith a weekday service of 15 trains per day north to Edinburgh and 13 trains per day south to London.

The Alnwick branch line formerly linked Alnwick's own station, close to the town centre, to Alnmouth station, but this line closed in January 1968. Since the 2010s, the Aln Valley Railway Trust have worked to reopen the branch as a heritage railway but, due to construction of the A1 Alnwick bypass removing a section of the original trackbed on the edge of the town, their purpose-built Alnwick Lionheart terminus is located near the Lionheart Enterprise Estate on the outskirts of the town. The reopening project is ongoing and, as of July 2020, the line's eastern terminus had reached a new station at , approximately from Lionheart, although it is yet to carry passengers over the full length.

Air

Newcastle Airport lies around 45 minutes drive-time away and provides 19 daily flights to ( London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City), with regular flights to other UK centres.

Town twinning

* Bryne, Norway
*Lagny-sur-Marne, France
*Voerde, Germany

Notable people

Born in Alnwick

* William of Alnwick (–1333), Franciscan theologian and Bishop of Giovinazzo
* Martin of Alnwick (d. 1336), Franciscan friar and theologian
*Henry 'Hotspur' Percy (1364?–1403), son of the 1st Earl of Northumberland
*John Busby (1765–1857), mining engineer
* William Davison (1781–1858), pharmacist, apothecary, publisher and printer
* Prideaux John Selby (1788–1867), ornithologist, botanist and artist
*William Henry Percy (1788–1855), naval commander and politician
* James Catnach (1792-1841), publisher
* George Biddell Airy (1801–1892), Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881
* George Tate (1805–1871), tradesman, local topographer, antiquarian and naturalist
* Thomas Turner Tate (1807–1888), mathematical and scientific educator and writer
* James Patterson (1833–1895), Australian colonial politician, premier of Victoria, born in Alnwick in 1833
* T. J. Cobden Sanderson (1840–1922), artist and bookbinder associated with the Arts and Crafts movement
*Ralph Tate (1840–1901), botanist and geologist
* Bernard Bosanquet (1848–1923), philosopher
*Jim Hilton (1894–1964), painter for Shell Oil and immigrant to Canada
* David Adam (1936–2020), English minister and Canon of York Minster
* Sid Waddell (1940–2012), commentator and television personality
*Jeremy Darroch (born 1962), chief executive of Sky
* Jonny Kennedy (1966–2003), spokesperson with the skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa
* Stella Vine (born 1969), artist
* Kelland Watts (born 1999), professional footballer

Died in Alnwick

* Malcolm III of Scotland (died 1093)
*Tip Tipping (1958–1993), actor, died in a parachuting accident at Brunton
*Stan Anderson (1871-1942), English international rugby union player

Appearances in film and television

Filming location

Alnwick town has been used as a setting in films and television series.
; Films

* 2012 ''Villains''
* 2011 '' Your Highness''

; Television

* 1987 '' Treasure Hunt'' - Episode: Northumberland (1987)
* 1991–1993 '' Spender''
* 1998-2011 '' History's Mysteries'' - Episode: Doomed Sisters of the Titanic (1999)
* 2011- '' All Over the Place '' - Episode: Tree Houses, Buses and Pie Eating! (2011)
* 2011- '' All Over the Place '' - Episode: Scary Castles, Teapots and Onion Eating! (2011)
* 2013- '' The Other Child''
* 2014 ''Vera'', ITV murder mystery, Series 4, Episode 1: On Harbour Street (2014)''
* 2015 ''Vera'', ITV murder mystery, Series 5, Episode 3: Muddy Waters filmed a scene in Alnwick's market place; the filming took place while the market was going on and was not staged for the episode, except for two stalls that were created just for the episode.
* 2013- '' Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green'' - Episode: More Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green: Industrial Heritage (2015)
* 2018- '' The Heist''

* 2012- '' Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways'' - Episode: Chris Tarrant: Railways of the Somme (2019)

Freedom of the Town

The following people have received the Freedom of the Town of Alnwick.

* Bill Batey: 2019
* Adrian Ions: 12 November 2021
* William "Bill" Hugonin : 18 March 2022.

References

External links

Visit Alnwick
– Alnwick Tourism Association

Alnwick described
on the ''Keys to the Past'' website.
*

{{Authority control

Market towns in Northumberland
Towns in Northumberland
Civil parishes in Northumberland