Where History Lives....Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter anyone?)

Our first view of the famous Alwick Castle- home of Harry Potter.

William de Percy (d.1096), was the first Percy to come to England on the invasion of William the Conqueror in1066. He came from the Caen region of the medieval duchy of Normandy, where villages still bear the name Perci.

His descendant Henry Lord Percy bought Alnwick Castle in 1309 and moved his family North from their lands in Yorkshire, starting an extraordinary relationship between family and town which has lasted for over 700 years.

During the summer the family moves out so the public can visit the castle.  It is a living history museum with a live encampment of soldiers, cookes, spinsters, woodcarers, leatherworkers, and other skilled artisans.

Food is prepared and cooked as done in the past.

We visited with Dustin and Lauren Fuller- on break from study abroad in Cambridge.

Sister Shurtz on the Castle Wall (where Robin Hood came over the top).

Soldiers with 'pikes" paraded and demonstrated their use.

It is not easy to balance a pike 15 feet long....

One of the most famous and exciting members of the Percy family was Harry ‘Hotspur’ Percy (1364-1403). He was born in the castle and whilst only a teenager was brave enough to go into battle against the fearsome Scots! He quickly earned the nickname ‘Hotspur’ for his great courage and impetuousness. He became such a famous knight that he was immortalised by Shakespeare in his play Henry IV.

Here is a short clip of the troop parading into the castle.