Standing majestically above the gentle waters of the River Aln in northeastern England, Alnwick Castle is a living chronicle of nearly a thousand years of British history. Often called the "Windsor of the North," this colossal fortress in Northumberland is the second largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor itself, and it remains the cherished family seat of the Percys, the Dukes of Northumberland, who have called it home since 1309.
Visitors arriving at Alnwick are immediately struck by the castle's commanding silhouette: a sprawling network of curtain walls, gatehouses, and drum towers that has weathered border wars, royal intrigues, and even the occasional Hollywood film crew. Beyond its imposing exterior lies one of the most spectacular interiors in the country, where medieval austerity gives way to lavish nineteenth-century Italianate state rooms filled with masterpieces by Canaletto, Titian, Van Dyck, and Turner.
