Editing Alnwick

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Northumberland, England}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox UK place
|static_image_name        = Alnwick Castle in uk.jpg
|static_image_caption     = The town of Alnwick, including Alnwick Castle
|country                  = England
|official_name            = Alnwick
|coordinates              = {{coord|55.4134|-1.7069|display=inline,title}}
|population               = 8,116
|population_ref           = (2011 census)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11119953&c=Alnwick&d=16&e=62&g=6452732&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1435230378812&enc=1|title=Parish population 2011|access-date=25 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626154128/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11119953&c=Alnwick&d=16&e=62&g=6452732&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1435230378812&enc=1|archive-date=26 June 2015}}</ref>
|region                   = North East England
|civil_parish             = Alnwick<ref>{{cite web |title=Alnwick Town Council Website |url=https://alnwick-tc.gov.uk/ |website =Alnwick Town Council |access-date=25 March 2022}}</ref>
|unitary_england          = [[Northumberland County Council|Northumberland]]
|lieutenancy_england      = [[Northumberland]]
|constituency_westminster = [[North Northumberland (UK Parliament constituency)|North Northumberland]]
|post_town                = ALNWICK
|postcode_district        = NE66
|postcode_area            = NE
|dial_code                = 01665
|os_grid_reference        = NU186129
|london_distance          = 
}}
'''Alnwick''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-uk-Alnwick.ogg|ˈ|æ|n|ᵻ|k}} {{respell|AN|ik}}) is a [[market town]] in [[Northumberland]], England, of which it is the traditional [[county town]]. The population at the [[United Kingdom 2011 census|2011 Census]] was 8,116.

The town is {{convert|32|mi|0}} south of [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]] and the Scottish border, {{convert|5|mi|0}} inland from the [[North Sea]] at [[Alnmouth]] and {{convert|34|mi|0}} north of [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]; it is sited on the south bank of the [[River Aln]]. 

The town dates to about AD&nbsp;600 and thrived as an agricultural centre. [[Alnwick Castle]] was the home of the most powerful medieval northern baronial family, the [[Earl of Northumberland|Earls of Northumberland]]. It was a staging post on the [[Great North Road (United Kingdom)|Great North Road]] between [[Edinburgh]] and [[London]].

==Toponymy==
The name ''Alnwick'' comes from the [[Old English]] ''wic'' ('dairy farm, settlement') and the name of the river Aln.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names |editor-first=Victor |editor-last=Watts |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2004 |at=s.v. Alnwick}}</ref>

==History==
{{further|History of Northumberland}}
[[File:Alnwick Castle in winter (2013) - panoramio.jpg|350px|thumb|left|[[Alnwick Castle]] in winter (December 2013)]]

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 I of England|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://community.dur.ac.uk/reed.ne/?page_id=3519 |title=The Percy Papers |date=12 January 2018 |publisher=University of Durham |access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref>

The castle was founded as a timber structure by [[Ivo de Vesci]] in about 1096. In 1136, it was first recorded as being captured by [[David I of Scotland]]. In 1147, [[Alnwick Abbey]] was founded for [[Premonstratensians|Premonstratensian canons]], a short distance west of the castle.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Pevsner |first=Nikolaus |title=Northumberland |publisher=Penguin |year=1957 |edition=1st |location=Harmondsworth |pages=67}}</ref> At about the same time, the castle was rebuilt in stone.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Pevsner |first=Nikolaus |title=Northumberland |publisher=Penguin |year=1957 |edition=1st |location=Harmondsworth |pages=68}}</ref>

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 where [[Malcolm III of Scotland]] was killed, during the first [[Battle of Alnwick (1093)|Battle 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 where [[William I of Scotland|William the Lion]] of Scotland was captured during the second [[Battle of Alnwick (1174)|Battle of Alnwick]] in 1174 by a party of about 400 mounted knights, led by [[Ranulf de Glanvill]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=John Wilson |title=Second Battle of Alnwick |publisher=BattlefieldsofBritain.co.uk |url=http://www.battlefieldsofbritain.co.uk/battle_alnwick_1174.html|year=2019 |access-date=20 July 2020|archive-date=28 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328201237/http://www.battlefieldsofbritain.co.uk/battle_alnwick_1174.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Hulne Priory]], outside the town walls in [[Hulne Park]], the Duke of Northumberland's walled estate, was a friary founded in about 1240 for the [[Carmelites]] by [[William de Vesci (d.1253)|William de Vesci]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Pevsner |first=Nikolaus |title=Northumberland |publisher=Penguin |year=1957 |edition=1st |location=Harmondsworth |pages=195–196}}</ref> It is said that the site was chosen for some slight resemblance to [[Mount Carmel]] where the order originated.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4RpNAAAAMAAJ&q=hulne+abbey+history+Mount+Carmel&pg=PA477 |title=An Historical, Topographical and Descriptive View of the County of Northumberland: and of Those Parts of the County of Durham Situated North of the River Tyne, with Berwick Upon Tweed, and Brief Notices of Celebrated Places on the Scottish Border |last=Mackenzie |first=Eneas|date=1825 |publisher=Mackenzie and Dent |language=en}}</ref>

In 1314, Sir John Felton was governor of Alnwick.<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Felton, Thomas (d.1381) |volume=18}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" /> After the Percys challenged [[Henry IV of England|King 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 by [[William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas]] and [[George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus]]. Following these setbacks, in the 15th century both monastic houses gained defensive towers and the town was walled.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pevsner |first=Nikolaus |title=Northumberland |publisher=Penguin |year=1957 |edition=1st |location=Harmondsworth |pages=41, 67, 73, 196–197}}</ref>

In addition to the threat from Scotland, Alnwick was heavily contested in the [[Wars of the Roses]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spencer |first=Dan |title=The Castle in the Wars of the Roses |publisher=Pen & Sword |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-52679-747-6 |location=Barnsley |pages=79–85, 176}}</ref> It was held for [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] until the Lancastrian collapse of 1461, when it fell to [[Edward IV]]. That winter the [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrians]] recaptured it but, in July 1462, the [[House of York|Yorkists]] 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simpson |first=David |title=Wars of the Roses in the North |url=https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/wars-roses/ |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=England's North East}}</ref> According to historian Dan Spencer, this made Alnwick the most besieged place in the country in the Wars of the Roses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spencer |first=Dan |date=23 November 2020 |title=Alnwick Castle and the Wars of the Roses |url=https://danspencer.info/2020/11/23/alnwick-castle-and-the-wars-of-the-roses/ |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Dan Spencer}}</ref> [[Sir Thomas Malory]] mentions Alnwick as a possible location for Lancelot's castle Joyous Garde.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Whitaker |first=Muriel A. |year=1976 |title=Sir Thomas Malory's Castles of Delight. |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24777076 |journal=Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature |publisher=Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature 9, no. 2 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=73–84 |jstor=24777076}}</ref>

In the [[English Reformation]], monastic life at Alnwick came to an end, with both Alnwick Abbey and Hulne Priory being suppressed in 1539.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Historic England |date=11 May 2016 |title=Alnwick Abbey |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1006598?section=official-list-entry |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=National Heritage List for England}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Historic England |date=11 May 2016 |title=Hulne Priory |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1002904?section=official-list-entry |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=National Heritage List for England}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, the Percys also left Alnwick to decay, only resuming residence in the mid-18th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pevsner |first=Nikolaus |title=Northumberland |publisher=Penguin |year=1957 |edition=1st |location=Harmondsworth |pages=69}}</ref> Since then the Percys have remained at Alnwick. There was a [[Church of Scotland]] congregation in Alnwick in the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |date=1928 |publisher=Oliver and Boyd |location=Edinburgh |page=504 |volume=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc07scot/page/504 |access-date=8 July 2019}}</ref>

A Royal Air Force distribution depot was constructed at Alnwick during the [[World War II|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.<ref>{{cite book |first=Tim |last=Whittle |title=Fuelling the Wars - PLUTO and the Secret Pipeline Network 1936 to 2015 |date=2017 |page=207 |publisher=Folly Books, Limited |isbn=9780992855468}}</ref>

The Alnwick by-pass takes the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1 London–Edinburgh trunk road]] around the town; it was opened in 1968.<ref name=Autocar196802>{{cite magazine |editor-first=Maurice A |editor-last=Smith |title=News and Views: A1 Alnwick by-pass |magazine=[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] |page=57 |date=15 February 1968}}</ref>

==Geography==
Alnwick lies at {{coord|55|25|00|N|01|42|00|W|}} (55.417,
-1.700)[[World gazetteer|<sup>1</sup>]]. The River Aln forms its unofficial northern boundary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk/intro7.html |title=Bridges On The Aln - Introduction |website=Bridgesonthetyne.co.uk |access-date=18 August 2018}}</ref>

==Governance==
[[File:Alnwick Town Hall as seen from the west.jpg|thumb|The rear view of Alnwick Town Hall (the main entrance  is in the Market Place)]]

Historically, the town was partly within the [[Bamburgh|Bamburgh Ward]] and Coquetdale Ward and later included in the East Division of Coquetdale Ward in 1832.<ref name=tate>[[George Tate (topographer)|George Tate]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=voYHAAAAQAAJ ''The History of the Borough, Castle and Barony of Alnwick''] (Vol. 1). Alnwick: Henry Hunter Blair, 1866.</ref> [[Alnwick Town Hall]] was the home of the common council of Alnwick.<ref name=tate/> By the time of the 2011 Census, an [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] covering only part of Alnwick parish existed. The total population of this ward was 4,766.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/alnwick-e05008018#sthash.lEgMqxYJ.dpbs|title=Alnwick ward population 2011 |access-date=25 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626153053/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/alnwick-e05008018#sthash.lEgMqxYJ.dpbs |archive-date=26 June 2015}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Barter Books, Alnwick - geograph.org.uk - 86554.jpg|thumb|right|Barter Books in Alnwick]]

Some major or noteworthy employers in the town are:
* [[Barter Books]], one of the largest second-hand bookshops in England, set in [[Alnwick railway station|the town's former railway station]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-10 |title=A Novel Experience - A Visit to Barter Books Alnwick |url=https://tracystravelsintime.com/2019/05/10/barter-books-alnwick/ |access-date=2020-09-28 |website=Tracy's Travels in Time}}</ref> 
* [[Quotient Sciences]] Alnwick, a large [[pharmaceutical]] manufacturing, research and testing centre<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.quotientsciences.com/news/quotient-sciences-announces-multimillion-pound-investment-drug-substance-manufacturing-facility |title=Quotient Sciences Buys Alnwick Research Centre |date=25 August 2021 |publisher=Quotient Sciences}}</ref>
* [[NFU Mutual]], provider of insurance, pensions and investments<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/micropub-plan-empty-town-centre-office-398843 |title=Micropub plan for empty town-centre office |date=18 October 2022 |publisher=Northumberland Gazette |access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref>
* [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]]<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Northumberland Gazette |url=http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/jobs-to-go-with-closure-of-alnwick-operation-1-6724979 |title=Jobs to go with closure of Alnwick operation |access-date=30 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112800/http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/jobs-to-go-with-closure-of-alnwick-operation-1-6724979 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |date=11 July 2014}}</ref>
* House of Hardy, well-known supplier of [[fly-fishing]] equipment with retail space, manufacturing and a museum.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-26 |title=Hardy's outlines commitment to Alnwick with opening of new shop and museum and plans for new factory |url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/business/hardys-outlines-commitment-to-alnwick-with-plans-for-new-factory-3360413 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Northumberland Gazette |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hardy Fishing UK |url=https://www.hardyfishing.co.uk/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Hardy Fishing UK |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hardy 150 years |url=https://www.hardyfishing.co.uk/pages/hardy-150-years |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Hardy Fishing UK |language=en}}</ref>

==Education==
Secondary schools in Alnwick include [[The Duchess's Community High School]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History {{!}} The Duchess's |url=https://www.dchs-alnwick.org/about-us/a-brief-history/ |website=www.dchs-alnwick.org |access-date=26 March 2020}}</ref>

==Landmarks==
The town's greatest building is [[Alnwick Castle]], one of the homes of the [[Duke of Northumberland]], and site of [[The Alnwick Garden]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21565143-can-museum-christianity-succeed-britain-divine-detour |title=History museums: Divine detour |newspaper=The Economist |date=27 October 2012 |access-date=10 August 2013}}</ref> The castle has extensive grounds landscaped by [[Capability Brown]], which include several [[Folly|follies]] as well as the ruins of St Leonard's Hospital, [[Alnwick Abbey]] and [[Hulne Priory]].

[[File:Alnwick marketplace - snow - night.jpg|thumb|Alnwick marketplace at night in winter]]
The town centre is the marketplace, with its [[market cross]] and the 19th century Northumberland Hall, used as a meeting place.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Northumberland Hall|num=1041460|access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref>

[[The Alnwick Playhouse]] is a thriving multi-purpose arts centre that stages theatre, dance, music, cinema and visual arts productions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alnwickplayhouse.co.uk/history-of-the-playhouse |title=History of the Playhouse &#124; Alnwick Playhouse |work=alnwickplayhouse.co.uk |year=2012 |access-date=17 April 2012 |archive-date=7 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407095632/http://www.alnwickplayhouse.co.uk/history-of-the-playhouse |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sports-facilities.co.uk/sites/view/1005791 |title= Willowburn Leisure Centre |publisher=Sports Facilities |access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Front of Bailiffgate Museum squared up.jpg|thumb|200px|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk/collectionandresearcharea.asp |title=Bailiffgate Museum |url-status = dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005104825/http://www.bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk/collectionandresearcharea.asp |archive-date=5 October 2008 |access-date=23 December 2008}}</ref>

[[File:Brizlee Tower - Alnwick - Northumberland - UK - 2006-03-04.jpg|thumb|upright|Brizlee Tower, a [[folly]] 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:

* [[Alnwick railway station]] (closed in 1968), a listed building<ref>{{cite web |title=Former railway terminus, Wagonway Road |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1041411 |website=historicengland.org.uk |access-date=23 March 2025}}</ref> and now a secondhand bookshop.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bookshop |url=https://www.barterbooks.co.uk/html/About%20Us/The%20Bookshop.php |website=barterbooks.co.uk |publisher=Barter Books |access-date=23 March 2025}}</ref>
* the [[Bondgate Tower]], also known as the Hotspur Tower or Hotspur Gate, the only upstanding survival of the medieval town wall and named after Sir [[Henry 'Hotspur' Percy|Henry Percy]], also called Harry Hotspur, the eldest son of the [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland|1st Earl of Northumberland]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bondgate Tower, Bondgate Within, Alnwick - Northumberland (UA) {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search-register/list-entry/49777 |access-date=2020-10-03 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Brizlee Tower]], a [[Grade I listed]] [[folly|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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Brizlee Tower |url=http://www.robinkent.com/288.html |work=Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation website |publisher=Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation |access-date=22 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325050912/http://www.robinkent.com/288.html |archive-date=25 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Camphill Column, Alnwick|Camphill Column]], an 1814 construction celebrating British victories in Europe and possibly erected as a reaction against the [[French Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Camphill Column (Alnwick) |url=http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&prn=N4515 |website=Keys to the Past |publisher=Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council |access-date=22 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320054127/http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&prn=N4515 |archive-date=2012-03-20|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* the [[Fenkle Street drill hall]] converted from a library in 1887.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kelly's Directory of Northumberland (1894) |url=http://forebears.co.uk/england/northumberland/alnwick |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828020521/http://forebears.co.uk/england/northumberland/alnwick |archive-date=28 August 2016 |access-date=8 July 2017}}</ref>
* the [[Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland]], found within Alnwick Castle.<ref>{{cite web |date=23 September 2004 |title=Museum enlists force of model recruits |url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/museum-enlists-force-of-model-recruits-1-1487988 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143831/https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/museum-enlists-force-of-model-recruits-1-1487988 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |accessdate=2 June 2018 |publisher=Northumberland Gazette}}</ref>
* The [[Nelson Memorial, Swarland]], emphasising a local link to the admired [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Admiral]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1303733|date=|accessdate=2015-12-05|desc=Nelson monument and railings to west}}</ref>
* the Pottergate Tower, a Gothick eye-catcher of 1768 straddling Pottergate on the site of the medieval gate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Historic England |date=20 February 1952 |title=Pottergate Tower, Pottergate |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1041444?section=official-list-entry |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=National Heritage List for England}}</ref>
* [[RAF Boulmer]] was an airfield during [[World War II]]. It now has a role in early warning [[radar]] surveillance and communications.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/boulmer-longhoughton/|title=Boulmer (Longhoughton)|publisher=Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust|access-date=24 November 2021}}</ref>
* St Leonard's Hospital Chapel, within the castle park. Meagre ruins of ''c''. 1200 from a hospital founded for the soul of King [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm of Scotland]].<ref name=":0" />
* St Mary's Chantry, in Walkergate, the ruins of a medieval [[chantry]] house licensed in 1448.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Historic England |date=11 May 2016 |title=St Mary's Chantry House |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1006596?section=official-list-entry |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=National Heritage List for England}}</ref>
* [[St Michael's Church, Alnwick|St Michael's Church]] on Bailiffgate, the main parish church of the town, a Grade I [[listed building]] dating from the 15th century with fragments from the 12th century.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1041546|desc=Church of St Michael|accessdate=1 October 2015}}</ref>
* the [[Tenantry Column]]—much in the style of [[Nelson's Column]], {{convert|83|ft|m}} 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.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Percy Tenantry Column, Alnwick|num=1041405|access-date=28 September 2021}}</ref>
* the [[The White Swan Hotel, Alnwick|White Swan Hotel]], an 18th-century coaching inn that now houses the First Class Lounge and other fittings from the ''[[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]''{{'s}} near-identical sister ship [[RMS Olympic|RMS ''Olympic'']].<ref>{{cite web |title=RMS Olympic at the White Swan, Alnwick |url=http://www.classiclodges.co.uk/assets/Documents/OLYMPICLOUNGEHISTORYSSOLYMPIC.pdf |access-date=7 April 2012 |publisher=White Swan Hotel, Alnwick}}{{Dead link |date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

==Sport==
* [[Alnwick RFC]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/berwick/|title=Berwick RFC |publisher=www.pitchero.com/clubs/berwick |access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref>
* [[Alnwick Town A.F.C.]]<ref>{{fchd|id=ALNWICKT|name=Alnwick Town}}</ref>

==Local media==
Local news and television programmes is provided by [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] and [[ITV Tyne Tees]]. Television signals are received from the [[Chatton transmitting station|Chatton]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Chatton |title=Chatton (Northumberland, England) Full Freeview transmitter |date=May 2004 }}</ref>

Alnwick's local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Newcastle]] on 96.0 FM, [[Hits Radio North East]] on 102.6 FM and [[Lionheart Radio]] on 107.3 FM, a community-based radio station.

The ''[[Northumberland Gazette]]'' is the town's local newspaper.

==Events==
[[File:Alnwick.jpg|thumb|[[Bondgate Tower]] with its [[Christmas lights]] (2012)]]

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/Death-of-the-Fair.3777345.jp |newspaper=Northumberland Gazette |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216022203/http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/Death-of-the-Fair.3777345.jp |archive-date=16 February 2008 |access-date=23 August 2010 |date=14 February 2008 |location=Northumberland |title=Death of the Fair |first=Jaclyn |last=Curry}}</ref>

==Transport==
===Road===
[[File:HotspurTower.JPG|thumbnail|right|Bondgate Tower]]
Alnwick lies adjacent to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]], the main national north–south trunk road, providing easy access to Newcastle upon Tyne ({{convert|35|mi|km}} south) and Edinburgh ({{convert|80|mi|km}} north).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.roads.org.uk/motorway/a1/330 |title=A1 Alnwick Lane Configuration Change |publisher=Roads.org.uk |access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref>

===Rail===
The nearest [[National Rail]] station is at {{rws|Alnmouth}}, about {{convert|4|miles|0}} away. [[London North Eastern Railway]] operates services between {{rws|Edinburgh Waverley}} (journey time approximately 1h:10m) and {{rws|London King's Cross}} (journey time approximately 3h:45m) on the [[East Coast Main Line]]. It has a weekday service of 15 trains per day north to Edinburgh and 13 trains per day south to London.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our timetables |work=LNER |date=15 December 2024 |access-date=27 March 2025 |url=https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/travelling-later/timetables/}}</ref>

The [[Alnwick branch line]] formerly linked [[Alnwick 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 a [[List of British heritage and private railways|heritage railway]] but, due to construction of the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1 Alnwick bypass]] removing a section of the original trackbed on the edge of the town, their purpose-built station at {{rws|Alnwick 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 {{convert|1.5|miles|km|abbr=on}} from Lionheart; it is yet to carry passengers over the full length.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mailchi.mp/eabd79972982/aln-valley-railway-january-february-newsletter-2695343?e=58672f6084 |title=AVR January/February 2020 Newsletter |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref>

===Air===
[[Newcastle International Airport|Newcastle Airport]] lies around 45 minutes away and provides 19 daily flights to [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow]], [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]], [[Stansted Airport|Stansted]] and [[London City Airport|London City]], with regular flights to other UK centres.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/how-newcastle-airports-shiny-new-12613827 |title=How Newcastle Airport's Shiny, New Terminal Was Opened on This Day 50 Years Ago |publisher=[[Evening Chronicle]] |access-date=18 July 2021 |date=17 February 2017}}</ref>

==Twin towns==
Alnwick is twinned with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Twin Towns |url=https://alnwick-tc.gov.uk/your-council/twin-towns/|publisher=Alnwick Town Council |access-date=2023-03-31}}</ref>
* [[Bryne, Norway|Bryne]], Norway
* [[Lagny-sur-Marne]], France
* [[Voerde]], Germany

==Notable people==
[[File:Stella Vine 2001.jpg|thumb|upright|Stella Vine]]

===Born in Alnwick===
*[[William of Alnwick]] ({{circa|1275}}–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 (publisher)|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 (topographer)|George Tate]] (1805–1871), tradesman, local topographer, antiquarian and naturalist
*[[Thomas Tate (mathematician)|Thomas Turner Tate]] (1807–1888), mathematical and scientific educator and writer
*[[James Patterson (Australian politician)|James Patterson]] (1833–1895), Australian colonial politician, premier of Victoria, born in Alnwick in 1833
*[[T. J. Cobden Sanderson]] (1840–1922), artist and [[bookbinding|bookbinder]] associated with the [[Arts and Crafts movement]]
*[[Ralph Tate]] (1840–1901), botanist and geologist
*[[Bernard Bosanquet (philosopher)|Bernard Bosanquet]] (1848–1923), philosopher[[File:Jacob Jacobsz de Wet II (Haarlem 1641-2 - Amsterdam 1697) - Malcolm III 'Canmore', King of Scotland (1057-93) - RCIN 403310 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|[[Malcolm III of Scotland]] died in Alnwick in the [[Battle of Alnwick (1093)]]]]
*[[Jim Hilton]] (1894–1964), painter for Shell Oil and immigrant to Canada
*[[David Adam (minister)|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 (company)|Sky]]
*[[Jonny Kennedy]] (1966–2003), spokesperson with the skin condition [[epidermolysis bullosa]]
*[[Stella Vine]] (born 1969), artist
*[[Laura Weightman]] (born 1991), former British middle-distance runner, Olympic competitor
*[[Kelland Watts]] (born 1999), professional footballer
*[[J. Arthur Reavell]] (1872-1973), chemical engineer

===Lived in Alnwick===
*[[John Scafe]] (1776–1843), poet.
*[[Lucy Bronze]] (born 1991), footballer for [[Barcelona]] and [[England]], played junior football in Alnwick and had plaque erected in her honour at Alnwick Town FC.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.90min.com/posts/england-euro-2022-winners-honoured-gold-plaques-local-football-clubs |title=England's Euro 2022 winners honoured with gold plaques at local football clubs |date=22 September 2022}}</ref>

===Died in Alnwick===
*[[Malcolm III of Scotland]] (died 1093)
*[[Stan Anderson (rugby union)|Stan Anderson]] (1871–1942), English international rugby union player.

==Freedom of the Town==
The following people have received the [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Town]] of Alnwick:

* Bill Batey: 2019<ref name="Smith">{{cite web |url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/people/mr-alnwick-awarded-honorary-freedom-of-town-3460779 |title='Mr Alnwick' awarded honorary freedom of town |last=Smith |first=Ian |date=24 March 2022 |website=The Northumberland Gazette |access-date=18 November 2021 }}</ref>
* Adrian Ions: 12 November 2021<ref name="Smith"/>
* William "Bill" Hugonin: 18 March 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/people/tributes-paid-to-alnwick-man-who-passed-away-two-days-after-receiving-freedom-of-town-3624769 |title=Tributes paid to Alnwick man who passed away two days after receiving freedom of town |last=Smith |first=Ian |date=24 March 2022 |website=The Northumberland Gazette |access-date=25 March 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bill Hugonin: Tributes paid to highly respected Honorary Freeman of Alnwick |url=https://alnwick-tc.gov.uk/news/bill-hugonin-tributes-paid-to-highly-respected-honorary-freeman-of-alnwick/ |website=Alnwick Town Council |date=21 March 2022 |access-date=25 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

== Filming location ==
{{In popular culture|section|date=October 2024}}
{{See also|Alnwick Castle#Filming location}}
Alnwick has been used as a setting in films and television series:
; Films
* 2000  [[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]
* 2012 ''Villains''
* 2011 ''[[Your Highness]]''

; Television
* 1987 ''[[Treasure Hunt (British game show)|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 (TV programme)|All Over the Place]]'' - episode: Tree Houses, Buses and Pie Eating! (2011)
* 2011- ''[[All Over the Place (TV programme)|All Over the Place]]'' - episode: Scary Castles, Teapots and Onion Eating! (2011)
* 2013- ''The Other Child''
* 2014 ''[[Vera (TV series)|Vera]]'', [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] [[Crime fiction|murder mystery]], [[Vera (TV series)#Series 4 (2015)|Series 4, episode 1: On Harbour Street (2014)]]''
* 2015 ''[[Vera (TV series)|Vera]]'', [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] [[Crime fiction|murder mystery]], [[Vera (TV series)#Series 5 (2015)|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 (TV series)|The Heist]]''
* 2012- ''[[Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways]]'' - episode: Railways of the Somme (2019)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Alnwick}}
{{commons category|Alnwick}}
* [http://www.visitalnwick.org.uk/ Visit Alnwick] – Alnwick Tourism Association
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040407031552/http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N12982 Alnwick described] on the ''Keys to the Past'' website.

{{Northumberland}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Alnwick| ]]
[[Category:Market towns in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Towns in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Northumberland]]