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 .

Alnwick Castle by Canaletto , circa 1750.

Alnwick castle has two park s. Immediately to the north of the castle is a relatively small park straddling the River Aln which was landscaped by Lancelot Brown ("Capability Brown") and Thomas Call in the 18th century; it is known as locally as The Pastures. Nearby is the much larger Hulne Park , which contains the remains of Hulne Priory .

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.

Since the Second World War , parts of the castle have been used by various educational establishments: Firstly, by the Newcastle Church High School for Girls then, from 1945 to 1975, as a teacher training college and, since 1981, by St. Cloud State University as a branch campus forming part of their International Study Programme.

Special exhibitions are housed in three of the castle's perimeter towers. The Postern Tower, as well as featuring an exhibition on the Dukes of Northumberland and their interest in archaeology , includes fresco es from Pompeii , relic s from Ancient Egypt and Romano-British objects. Constable's Tower houses military displays like the Percy Tenantry Volunteers exhibition, local, volunteer soldiers raised to repel Napoleon 's planned invasion in the period 1798-1814. The Abbot's Tower houses the Regimental Museum of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers .

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 and many others listed in the Location section of the Alnwick Castle website .

The castle is open to the public throughout the summer.

Alnwick Garden

Adjacent to the castle, the present Duchess of Northumberland, Jane, has established the Alnwick Garden, a formal garden set around a cascading fountain . It is the most ambitious new garden created in the United Kingdom since the Second World War , with a reported development cost for the whole of £42 million pounds (press release of 7 August 2003 ). The garden belongs to a charitable trust which is separate from the Northumberland Estates, but the Duke of Northumberland donated the 42 acre (170,000 m²) site and £9 million.

The first phase of development, opened in October 2001, involved the creation of the fountain and initial planting of the gardens. In 2004 a large 'tree house' complex, including a cafe, was opened. By that year it was the third most visited paid entry garden in the UK (after Kew Gardens and Wisley ), with over half a million visitors. In February 2005, a poison garden, growing plants such as cannabis and opium poppy , was added. May 2006 saw the opening of a pavilion and visitor centre designed by Sir Michael Hopkins which can hold up to 1,000 people. [ Alnwick Garden’s ‘transparent’ visitor centre ] , Europe Travel News, 16 May , 2006It is hoped that the remaining elements of the plan will all be built by 2008.

The purpose of the garden is to augment the facilities available on the Alnwick Castle site for tourists and educational visitors.

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