Guide No. 10 · The Castle Rolls
Alnwick Castle
One family has held this Northumberland fortress for over seven hundred years — long enough to fight a Shakespearean rebellion, rebuild the interior as an Italian palace, and, more recently, teach a generation of children to fly a broomstick on the lawn.
Alnwick Castle in Northumberland has belonged to the Percy family, now the Dukes of Northumberland, since they bought it in 1309 — over seven centuries of continuous ownership by the same family, one of the longest runs of any castle in England. Behind its genuinely medieval curtain walls and gatehouse sits a building that has changed jobs more than once: border fortress, seat of one of England's most powerful noble families, remodelled Italianate stately home, and, most recently, a film set recognisable to millions of people who've never set foot in Northumberland.
Hotspur's castle, and the border it guarded
For most of its history Alnwick's job was straightforward and dangerous: guard the volatile Anglo-Scottish border, and project Percy power across Northumberland. The family produced Henry Percy, nicknamed "Hotspur" for his combative reputation, one of the most celebrated soldiers of his generation before he rebelled against Henry IV and was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 — an episode Shakespeare later turned into some of the best-known scenes in Henry IV, Part 1. The Percys' standing meant Alnwick was never a minor border keep; it was the operational base of a family that could, on occasion, make a king's life genuinely difficult.
A medieval shell around an Italian palace
What visitors see from outside — battlemented curtain walls, a formidable gatehouse, a skyline that reads as straightforwardly medieval — is largely genuine. What's inside is a deliberate act of theatre. In the 19th century, the 4th Duke of Northumberland commissioned the architect Anthony Salvin to remodel the state rooms in an opulent Italian Renaissance style, filling them with an art collection that includes paintings by Titian, Canaletto and Van Dyck. The result is a castle that looks like a fortress from the car park and a Roman palazzo from the drawing room, on purpose, and it remains one of the more striking architectural double-acts of any castle on this roll.
Alnwick's most recent chapter has nothing to do with dukes at all. Its Outer Bailey was used to film the broomstick flying lessons in the first two Harry Potter films, and the castle has since become one of the most visited Harry Potter filming locations in the country — a seven-hundred-year-old power base for the Dukes of Northumberland, now equally famous as the place a generation of children first watched Harry Potter learn to fly.
Quick answers
How long has the Percy family owned Alnwick Castle?
The Percy family, now the Dukes of Northumberland, bought Alnwick Castle in 1309 and have held it continuously ever since — well over 700 years, making it one of the longest unbroken family ownerships of any castle in England.
Why does Alnwick Castle's interior look Italian rather than medieval?
The exterior curtain walls and gatehouse are genuinely medieval, but the interior was extensively remodelled in the 19th century for the 4th Duke of Northumberland by the architect Anthony Salvin, who redesigned the state rooms in an opulent Italian Renaissance style and filled them with an art collection including works by Titian, Canaletto and Van Dyck. So the outside reads as a medieval fortress and the inside reads as an Italian palazzo, deliberately.
Was Alnwick Castle used in the Harry Potter films?
Yes — Alnwick Castle's Outer Bailey was used for the flying lessons in the first two Harry Potter films, including the scenes of students learning to handle a broomstick, and it remains one of the most visited Harry Potter filming locations in Britain as a result.
Who was Harry Hotspur, and was he connected to Alnwick Castle?
Henry Percy, nicknamed 'Hotspur' for his fighting temperament, was born into the family that held Alnwick Castle and became one of the most famous soldiers of his generation before dying in rebellion against Henry IV in 1403 — an episode Shakespeare later dramatised in Henry IV, Part 1, making Hotspur one of the castle's most famous historical residents.
Visit Alnwick Castle's own page on the roll → · Or read about the tower houses built on the other side of the border it guarded →