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 ofWilliam 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 theHouse of Percy in 1309.[4]
The castle was founded as a timber structure byIvo de Vesci in about 1096. In 1136, it was first recorded as being captured byDavid I of Scotland. In 1147,Alnwick Abbey was founded forPremonstratensian canons, a short distance west of the castle.[5] At about the same time, the castle was rebuilt in stone.[6]
At various points in the town are memorials of the constant wars with the 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 whereMalcolm III of Scotland was killed, during the firstBattle of Alnwick in 1093. At the side of the broad shady road called Ratten Row, leading from the West Lodge to Bailiffgate, a stone tablet marks the spot whereWilliam the Lion of Scotland was captured during the secondBattle of Alnwick in 1174 by a party of about 400 mounted knights, led byRanulf de Glanvill.[7]
Hulne Priory, outside the town walls inHulne Park, the Duke of Northumberland's walled estate, was a friary founded in about 1240 for theCarmelites byWilliam de Vesci.[8] It is said that the site was chosen for some slight resemblance toMount Carmel where the order originated.[9]
In 1314, Sir John Felton was governor of Alnwick.[10] During the 14th century the Percys did extensive work on the castle, adding new towers in the outer wall, strong gates to the wall and keep, and new domestic apartments.[6] After the Percys challengedKing Henry IV, the king moved against their castles, taking Alnwick in 1403, despite its improvements.
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 byWilliam Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas andGeorge Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus. Following these setbacks, in the 15th century both monastic houses gained defensive towers and the town was walled.[11]
In addition to the threat from Scotland, Alnwick was heavily contested in theWars of the Roses.[12] It was held forHenry VI until the Lancastrian collapse of 1461, when it fell toEdward IV. That winter theLancastrians recaptured it but, in July 1462, theYorkists retook it. By the autumn, the Lancastrians were again in possession and quickly came under Yorkist siege. Despite Franco-Scottish reinforcements, the Lancastrians abandoned the castle to the Yorkists in January 1463, though by May they had regained it through betrayal. On 23 June, it was surrendered to the Yorkists for the final time.[13] According to historian Dan Spencer, this made Alnwick the most besieged place in the country in the Wars of the Roses.[14]Sir Thomas Malory mentions Alnwick as a possible location for Lancelot's castle Joyous Garde.[15]
In theEnglish Reformation, monastic life at Alnwick came to an end, with both Alnwick Abbey and Hulne Priory being suppressed in 1539.[16][17] Shortly afterwards, the Percys also left Alnwick to decay, only resuming residence in the mid-18th century.[18] Since then the Percys have remained at Alnwick. There was aChurch of Scotland congregation in Alnwick in the 17th and 18th centuries.[19]
A Royal Air Force distribution depot was constructed at Alnwick during theSecond 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.[20]
The rear view of Alnwick Town Hall (the main entrance is in the Market Place)
Historically, the town was partly within theBamburgh Ward and Coquetdale Ward and later included in the East Division of Coquetdale Ward in 1832.[23]Alnwick Town Hall was the home of the common council of Alnwick.[23] By the time of the 2011 Census, anelectoral ward covering only part of Alnwick parish existed. The total population of this ward was 4,766.[24]
Primary schools in Alnwick include Swansfield Park Primary School,[32] St Pauls' Catholic Primary School,[33] NCEA Harry Hotspur C of E Primary School,[34] and Barndale school (which specialises inspecial education).[35] Secondary schools in Alnwick includeThe Duchess's Community High School.[36]
The town centre is the marketplace, with itsmarket cross and the 19th century Northumberland Hall, used as a meeting place.[38]
The Alnwick Playhouse is a thriving multi-purpose arts centre that stages theatre, dance, music, cinema and visual arts productions.[39]
In 2003, the Willowburn Leisure Centre was opened on the southern outskirts of the enlarged town; it replaced the old sports centre located by the Lindisfarne Middle School and the now-demolished youth centre.[40]
Bailiffgate Museum, a local history museum
Alnwick's museum,Bailiffgate Museum, is close to the Bailiffgate entrance to the castle. Its collection is dedicated to local social history and 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.[41]
Brizlee Tower, afolly and observation platform overlooking Hulne Park, the Duke of Northumberland's walled estate by Alnwick Castle
Other places of interest in and near the town include:
theBondgate Tower, also known as the Hotspur Tower or Hotspur Gate, the only upstanding survival of the medieval town wall and named after SirHenry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur, the eldest son of the1st Earl of Northumberland.[44]
St Leonard's Hospital Chapel, within the castle park. Meagre ruins ofc. 1200 from a hospital founded for the soul of KingMalcolm of Scotland.[5]
St Mary's Chantry, in Walkergate, the ruins of a medievalchantry house licensed in 1448.[52]
St Michael's Church on Bailiffgate, the main parish church of the town, a Grade Ilisted building dating from the 15th century with fragments from the 12th century.[53]
theWhite Swan Hotel, an 18th-century coaching inn that now houses the First Class Lounge and other fittings from theTitanic's near-identical sister shipRMSOlympic.[55]
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.[59]
Alnwick lies adjacent to theA1, the main national north–south trunk road, providing easy access to Newcastle upon Tyne (35 miles (56 km) south) and Edinburgh (80 miles (130 km) north).[60]
TheAlnwick branch line formerly linkedAlnwick railway station to Alnmouth, but this line closed in January 1968. Since the 2010s, the Aln Valley Railway Trust have worked to reopen the branch as aheritage railway but, due to construction of theA1 Alnwick bypass removing a section of the original trackbed on the edge of the town, their purpose-built station atAlnwick Lionheart 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 Greenrigg Halt, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Lionheart; it is yet to carry passengers over the full length.[62]
Lucy Bronze (born 1991), footballer forBarcelona andEngland, played junior football in Alnwick and had plaque erected in her honour at Alnwick Town FC.[65]
^Whitaker, Muriel A. (1976)."Sir Thomas Malory's Castles of Delight".Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature.9 (2). Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature 9, no. 2:73–84.JSTOR24777076.
^Historic England (11 May 2016)."Alnwick Abbey".National Heritage List for England. Retrieved19 June 2024.
^Historic England (11 May 2016)."Hulne Priory".National Heritage List for England. Retrieved19 June 2024.
^Pevsner, Nikolaus (1957).Northumberland (1st ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 69.
^"Brizlee Tower".Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation website. Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation. Archived fromthe original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved22 August 2011.
^"Camphill Column (Alnwick)".Keys to the Past. Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council. Archived fromthe original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved22 August 2011.
^Curry, Jaclyn (14 February 2008)."Death of the Fair".Northumberland Gazette. Northumberland. Archived fromthe original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved23 August 2010.
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