My favourite places: Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in Alnwick, Northumberland, England. Yves de Vescy, Baron of Alnwick, erected the first parts of the castle in 1096. It was built to defend England's northern border against the Scottish invasions and border reivers and it has been owned by the Percy family, the Earls and later Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. The first Percy lord of Alnwick restored the castle and the Abbot's Tower, the Middle Gateway and the Constable's Tower survive from this period.

The 6th Earl of Northumberland carried out renovations in the 16th century. In the second half of the 18th century Robert Adam carried out many alterations. The interiors were largely in a Strawberry Hill gothic style which was not at all typical of his work, which was usually neoclassical. According to the official website a large amount of Adam's work survives, but little or none of it remains in the principal rooms shown to the public, which were redecorated in an opulent Italianate style in the Victorian era.

The castle consists of two main rings of buildings. The inner ring is set around a small courtyard and contains the principal rooms. This structure is at the centre of a large bailey. As the central block was not large enough to contain all the accommodations required in later centuries, a large range of buildings was constructed along the south wall of the bailey. These two main areas of accommodation are connected by a link building. There are towers at regular intervals along the walls of the outer bailey. About a sixth of the bailey wall has been reduced almost to ground level on the bailey side to open up views into the park. Stable and service yards adjoin the castle outside the bailey; these would not have existed when the castle still had a military function.

The castle is in good repair and used for many purposes. It provides a home for the present Duke and family and offices for Northumberland Estates, which manages the Duke's extensive farming and property holdings.

The castle is used as a stand in for the exterior of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films (though the wide angle images are computer generated). It has previously been a location used in Blackadder I, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

[The above from Wikipedia].

This is a wonderfully complete castle - rather than the usual ruins - and certainly feels just a like a castle ‘should’ in your imagination. I’ve been there a few times whilst visiting friends in the North and we had lots of fun just wandering around the huge grounds and hallways litered with ancient artifacts and works of art. It’s a superb place to visit – and not only if you’re a Harry Potter fan! If you like castles (and what’s not to like) you’ll love Alnwick – pronounced ‘Ann-ick’ by the way [grin].