Alnwick Castle has been the home of the Percy family for over 700 years. The building itself is believed to have been constructed by the Normans in 1096 to control the border between Northumbria and Scotland. It is the second largest inhabited castle in England – second only to Windsor Castle. Throughout the centuries the castle has been renovated and this continues today. The grounds surrounding the castle were landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown.
The castle has been the setting for a number of films and TV dramas such as Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, Transformers: The Last Knight, Elizabeth, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Hollow Crown, The Virgin Queen, Badger, A Knight in Camelot, The Famous Five, Star Trek, Robin of Sherwood, Blackadder, Westworld,Mary Queen of Scots and Becket – to name but a few!
There are several events taking place throughout the summer – demonstrations, re-enactments and various medieval goings on. On the day we visited there was have-a-go archery. The State Rooms were, as you would expect, quite palatial with an outstanding collection of Old Masters and other treasures. Photography was not permitted inside. Throughout the friendly room guides were very smartly dressed in shirts, ties and waistcoats.
Because of the historic nature of the castle and grounds there is limited access for wheelchairs and only support dogs are allowed. We found it easy to walk around. We were very impressed by the surroundings of the restaurant, and surprised that the food and drink was reasonably priced.
All in all, it was a very pleasant day out.