England · Still standing
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle is a large medieval-origin castle and country house in Northumberland, England, long held by the Percy family and today still inhabited by the Duke of Northumberland. The complex combines an inner shell keep set within a large outer bailey and a succession of curtain walls and towers, and is open to the public for tours and exhibitions.
First raised
1096
Its prime
1865
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1865
The shape it held in its prime.
Broad, low-slung curtain walls and a central shell keep composed of a cluster of tightly packed towers form a two-ring plan set on a raised site with the River Aln to the north and a steep ravine to the south and east. The gate sequence includes a long barbican and a Romanesque archway flanked by two semi‑octagonal towers; crenellated parapets and a dozen main towers punctuate the outer wall. Stonework appears pale grey-brown and the roofs are low and pitched; the inner courtyard contains the Prudhoe Tower with a ground-level loggia.
Its story
The story of Alnwick Castle.
Ivo de Vesci, a Norman nobleman from Vassy in Calvados, erected the first parts of Alnwick Castle in about 1096 to guard a road crossing the River Aln. First mentioned in 1136 when King David I of Scotland captured it, the castle was already described as "very strong". William the Lion besieged it in 1172 and 1174, and was captured outside its walls at the Battle of Alnwick.
Eustace de Vesci was accused of plotting against King John in 1212, and John ordered the castle's demolition. The de Vesci estates later passed into the guardianship of Antony Bek, who sold them to the Percys. From that point the family's fortunes were linked permanently with Alnwick, held by the Percy earls and later dukes of Northumberland ever since — though Warkworth became their preferred residence.
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland (1341–1408), rebelled against Richard II and helped dethrone him, before he and his son Harry Hotspur rebelled again. Remodelled several times to balance military needs with residential comfort, the Grade I listed castle remains the home of Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, and drew over 600,000 visitors a year in 2016 together with the adjacent Alnwick Garden.
Step inside
11 places to explore in 1865.
The record describes 11 distinct spots at Alnwick Castle — including 3 interiors: kitchen (salvin interior), principal state rooms (italianate decoration), constable's tower (military displays). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Alnwick Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1865 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Alnwick Castle.
The families that held Alnwick Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
de Vesci
Ivo de Vesci erected the first parts of the castle in about 1096, and the de Vesci barons of Alnwick held it until the family's estates were sold to the Percys after 1212.
The Percys bought Alnwick from Antony Bek, guardian of the de Vesci estates, and have held it as earls and later dukes of Northumberland ever since; the 12th Duke lives there today.
