The History of Alnwick

The Town

It is believed that the town of Alnwick (pronounced "anick") dates back to approximately 600AD.

It's history is strongly influenced by the Castle but in addtion to this the town has also thrived as an agricultural centre and as a staging post on the Great North Road between Edinburgh and London.

The Castle

Alnwick Castle has a exciting and elaborate history. It was first held by the family of De Vesci for over two hundred years and was then passed to the Percys in 1309.

The Percys were at constant war with the Scots for many years, and there are a number of memorial and fact points in the town detailing their bloody battles.

The winter of 1424 brought the worst war to date, when much of the town was burnt by a Scottish raiding party.

Other Points of Interest

The town was also home to a Monastery, although it was situated just outside the town walls. It was known as Hulne Priory, and was located within Hulne Park. It is thought this site was chosen for some slight resemblance to Mount Carmel where the order originated. Today, there are still substantial ruins of the original buidling on show.

Today, Alnwick is a small market town which also bebefits from a growing tourism industry.

Further Reading

To find out more about the town and its history, we recommend looking through the selection of books available about Alnwick. Links to buy books securely online are provided, but you may also be able to find them in the many shops in the town, such as those in the retail category of our directory.