Alnwick

I mentioned Alnwick briefly in a previous part of this holiday blog when I was writing about Barter Books. Alnwick is a lovely town with lots on offer for the visitor.

I'll just briefly mention one or two of them.

Alnwick Castle, is a superb place, well worth visitng. It has been used in numerous films, and can be seen in some of the Harry Potter films.

Alnwick Castle - note the pretend defenders on the top of the barbican

Alnwick Castle viewed from across the River Aln

Alnwick Gardens is another "must visit" attraction. The gardens were the brain child of present Duchess of Northumberland

Alnwick Gardens - The Grand Cascade

Alnwick Gardens Tree House - For eating out, the "must visit" is the Tree House Restaurant which is situated near the entrance to the gardens.

Alnwick Gardens - The Tree House

 Inside the Tree House Restaurant

One or two other features of Alnwick.........

Ye Olde Cross Inn - known as "The Dirty Bottles"

  

The dirty bottles in the window

The reason the dirty bottles haven't been moved

   Pottergate

 

Alnwick Pump



Alnwick Town Hall & Tourist Information Centre



If you enter Alnwick fom the south side you will have to pass through the Hotspur Gate, really called Bondgate

Narrowgate

The Ford & Etal Estate.

Two of the villages we always try to visit when we are in Northumberland are Ford & Etal. They are both estate villages, and the properties in Ford look very similar to the almshouses in Saltaire.

The estate of Ford & Etal is situated about ten miles inland from Holy Island, and on the estate are all kinds of attractions to visit.

A fifteen inch gauge steam railway links Heatherslaw Mill (which is a restored working corn mill, complete with a waterwheel to grind the corn, as well as a cafe selling produce cooked from the ground flour, and a visitor centre) to the village of Etal. A trip on this railways follows the course of the River Till and if you are lucky you will see various forms of wildlife - squirrels, water creatures and herons and kingfishers to name but a few of the species around. 

Etal is a very pretty and picturesque village with the only thatched pub in Northumberland.

The Black Bull in Etal - the only thatched pub in Northumberland

You will also find the Lavender Tearooms in the village Post Office!

At the bottom end of the village is a ford across the River Till, and it is here that you will often find a Heron hunting for fish.

The ford across the River Till

Heron at Etal on the lookout for fish

Dotted around the estate are various craftsmen - Errol Hut Smithy - (blacksmiths) & Woodwork Shop, Taylor & Green (furniture makers) and Heatherslaw Mill (corn millers and bakers).

There are also the remains of a Castle and Gatehouse at Etal, and a museum devoted to Border Warfare.

Dot & Ruby approaching Etal Castle Museum

Border Warfare Display in Etal Castle Museum



Border Warfare Display in Etal Castle Museum

Etal Castle

Etal Castle Gatehouse from the inside

 



Etal Castle Gatehouse from the Outside

A couple of miles along the road is the estate village of Ford, with houses similar in design to those at Saltaire.

The centrepiece of the estate is Ford Castle. It is believed to have been built or rebuilt by Sir William Heron in 1287. Because of its close proximity to Scotland the Castle suffered frequent attacks by the Scots. It is known that James IV of Scotland stayed here prior to the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The Castle was completely rebuilt by Sir John Hussey Delaval between 1761 and 1764. It was completely restored by Louisa, Marchioness of Waterford, between 1861 and 1863. During WW2 the Castle was used by the Red Cross as a convalescent hospital. In recent years Northumberland County Council has leased the Castle for use as an educational establishment.

Another feature in the village is the Lady Waterford Hall. The Hall was built in 1860 to be used as a school. Louisa, Marchioness of Waterford had a strong interest in the school. She financed the building and between 1861 and 1883 painted a series of murals that can still be seen in the Hall. The school closed in 1957 but the Hall remains open for public viewing.

Lady Waterford Hall - interior, showing paintings

Lady Waterford Hall - exterior

There is a tall column (which used to be a fountain - called Ford Fountain) with an angel on the top at one end of the village, and a cottage called Jubilee Cottage at the other end of the village. 

Ford Fountain

Ford Fountain - the angel on the top

Looking up the village to Jubilee Cottage



Jubilee Cottage



Jubilee Cottage - detail

No prizes for guessing what Forge Cottage used to be.

 

The doorway is a giveaway!

Berwick Upon Tweed - A Fascinating, Quirky and Historic Town

During our stay in Waren Mill we visited Berwick upon Tweed a couple of times. Primarily to obtain a fill up of petrol as the Asda store in Berwick is one of the cheapest around! However, Berwick is a lovely town with a few quirks to it.

For instance, did you know that it is the only English city that plays in the Scottish Football League?

Berwick Station stands on the site of the Great Hall of Berwick Castle?

Berwick was a Royal Burgh of Scotland in 1120 and during the many centuries of border warfare changed hands no fewer than 14 times, the last being in 1482.



Three bridges span the River Tweed at Berwick.

Berwick Bridge (Old Bridge) in front, Royal Tweed Bridge (New Bridge) is next back, and the Royal Border Bridge (Railway Bridge) is at the back.

The red sandstone Berwick Bridge, also known as the Old Bridge, is the fifth known bridge crossing the River Tweed on or near this location. Initially constructed between 1611 and 1624, was finally completed in 1634.

The Royal Border Bridge, also known as the Railway Bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson and built between 1847 and 1850.


The Royal Tweed Bridge, also known as the New Bridge, was built between 1925 and 1928 as part of the A1 trunk road, prior to construction of the Berwick bypass in the 1984.

Berwick was given a special status as being "of" the Kingdom of England but not "in" it. As a result the town thereafter needed special mention in royal proclamations.



This had one odd effect. When Queen Victoria signed the declaration of war on Russia in 1853, she did so in the name of "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and the British Dominions beyond the sea." But Berwick was not mentioned in the Treaty of Paris that concluded the Crimean War in 1856, leaving the town technically still at war with Russia.


A peace treaty was only finally signed by a Russian diplomat and the the Mayor of Berwick in 1966. As the mayor said at the time: "You can tell the Russian people that they can now sleep peacefully in their beds".




Berwick is also renowned for its Elizabethan Walls Some of the town walls can still be seen today, dating mainly from the later Elizabethan period. They are among the finest of their kind in Europe.

Bewick's defences

Berwick is one of the most picturesque towns on the region's coast, mainly because of its attractive red roofed houses, pinkish grey Georgian buildings and the fine seventeenth century bridge, which spans the River Tweed.

Most notable of the town's buildings are the spired town hall of 1754 and the Berwick parish church, called Holy Trinity which is one of only a few built in England in Cromwellian times. For an historic parish church it is unusual, in that it has no steeple, tower or church bell.

Berwick Holy Trinity Church

 Berwick Holy Trinity Church

Instead a bell in the Town Hall is used to summon people to the church services at Holy Trinity. It is no wonder that many visitors to Berwick mistake the Town Hall for the parish church.

Berwick Town Hall

The is also the King's Own Scottish Borderer's Museum, Berwick Barracks and Main Guard, with its "By Beat of Drum" Exhibition, and the Berwick Museum and Art Gallery to visit. All these are situated opposite the Parish Church on the Parade.

The Delights of Bamburgh Village

As well as all the attractions which I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Bamburgh is also a very typical, picturesque and attractive traditional Northumbrian village. It still retains all the shops necessary for supplying food and goods.





At the heart of the village is a triangular village green, planted with trees and having a village pump at the lower end of the green.

Bamburgh Village Pump

The main road (Church Street/Radcliffe Road) passes on one of the longer sides of the green and on the other side is Front Street, which has shops, cafes, hotels & inns set back from the road behind an expansive grass verge.

The Copper Kettle Tea Rooms

The Pantry

Looking down Front Street towards the Castle

The Castle Inn

The Victoria Hotel

Clark's Grocers & Greengrocers

Carter's Family Butchers - makers of the famous and award winning Bamburgh Bangers

  

Sign outside Carter's Butchers Shop

St Aidan's - Bamburgh Parish Church

There are also a number of estate cottages in and amongst the shops and even though it was the last week in September it was surprising how many of the gardens still retained their flowers.