A1-The Great North Road
"Alnwick is a peaceful old town, its broad main street blocked by a massive gateway, no doubt part of the old Castle walls. It was here that we first saw the volume of English road traffic on a Sunday. As we wandered around the town we always seemed to return to its main street and time after time remarked on the apparent careless driving exhibited by many of the motorists, the majority of whom were out for a day's excursion." Iain Anderson
The best thing about Alnwick is the web site Alnwick-on-Lion, which is much more interesting than the rest of this page and tells you a great deal about the place.
The main reason for going to Alnwick is to buy a book at Barter Books in the old station.
The other reason for visiting Alnwick is because you're into folk music and its August, time for the Alnwick International Music and Dance Festival.
Not far to the north west of Alnwick castle are the extensive grounds of Hulne Park, where there are the remains of both a priory and an abbey. The grounds were mainly landscaped by Capability Brown and feature some of his finest work in his home county.
At the entrance to the park is the William the Lion stone, which marks the point where that king of Scotland, was captured while besieging Alnwick in 1174. He was not the first Scottish king to fall unlucky at Alnwick, for less than a mile to the north of the town near Alnwick's Lion bridge is Malcolm's Cross, marking the place where King Malcolm Canmore, (1057-1093) was killed during an invasion of England.
Inglis warns: "Particular care required on the bad 1 in 8 descent to Lion Bridge just outside Alnwick." I think this may be the steepest gradient on the whole Great North Road.
Up the hill, north of the Lion Bridge, look in the wood to the east of the road just before the roundabout. There’s a tall cross but look first at the much older lump of stone lying on the ground nearby. These words have been carved:
THE ANCIENT PEDESTAL
OF MALCOLMS CROSS
K OF SCOTLAND
Inscriptions on the not quite so ancient pedestal to the replacement cross read:
MALCOLM III
KING OF SCOTLAND
BESIEGING
ANWICK CASTLE
WAS SLAIN HERE
NOV XIII AN MXCIII
and round the back:
MALCOLMS CROSS
DECAYED BY TIME
WAS RESTORED BY HIS DESCENDANT
THE DUCHESS OF
NORTHUMBERLAND
MDCCLXXIV
Harper's sketch from 1901 and my photo from 2001.
It’s good to know that in 1773 the Duchess thought it worth commemorating her forbears by replacing the old cross. Sadly a discarded microwave oven and vacuum cleaner lay nearby when I last visited the site but disrespect for the landmarks of British history is nothing new. Amongst the various graffiti scratched in the stone is the date 1799.
The ruins by the roadside just down the hill are of a medieval hospital, also built in Malcolm’s memory.
It was Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland who killed Malcolm so how come the 18th century Duchess of Northumberland was Malcolm’s descendant?
Another reason for stopping off at Alnwick is the museum about fishing, the House of Hardy, which is really very good...and I'm not in the least interested in fishing.
And now there is yet another reason for stopping at Alnwick. The walled garden at the castle is being refurbished at a fabulous cost, some of which is taxpayers' money, courtesy of European Regional Development Fund. So go and visit it, perhaps virtually first for more details. Maybe it will be as good as it used to be in 1835 when Oliver described it:
"The gardens are to the south-east of the castle, and contain, besides an extensive vinery, a spacious conservatory, well stocked with the rarest and most beautiful exotic plants. Those who can enjoy the humbler details of domestic economy as well as the sight of a flower-garden or a beautiful landscape, should inquire for the dairy, which is a model of neatness; and he should also visit the piggery near to it, where he will see a breed of porkers which will scarcely fail, if he be not one of the children of Israel, to excite a most eager desire to dine on roast pig."
©Biff Vernon 2001