The Bondgate Tower

This is probably the most prominent building in Alnwick. Don't call it the Hotspur Tower or everyone will know you're a tourist.  It was once part of the town walls.   For some reason American Tourists often mistake it for the castle. The A1 [main London to Edinburgh road] used to go through here, but now it doesn't.

As it can only fit one lane of small vehicles, it would be a cause of major traffic problems in Alnwick were it not for the fact that there aren't enough cars in the whole of Alnwick to cause even medium traffic problems, let alone ones that are major.

Actually I am alone in thinking that there aren't traffic problems in Alnwick. People complain about the rush hour traffic but the evening rush hour lasts from 5.01pm till 5.09pm.  That's not a problem.

Oh yes - there are meant to be parking problems as well but there aren't really any for much the same reasons.  There are about three days in summer when the car parks are full but even then you can park - for free - a little outside the town centre with no problem.

Mmmm... Isn't it gorgeous? Building on the left is Northumberland Hall which you can hire if you want but not for a disco, and which was the subject of a campaign in the Gazette in October 1999 which wanted it to be replaced with a car park.  Never mind that it is a Grade 1 Listed Building. In this picture it is flying the Northumberland flag. Like Cornwall, Northumberland is the only English county to have a flag and you can click here if you want a better look [NB this links to the world famous Northumberland Virtual Giftshop and they'll try and flog you one as well. But you can always resist.]

The building immediately to the right of Northumberland hall is the Alnwick office of Adam Douglas & Son.

They're a firm of Solicitors and these offices presently double as the Alnwick register office - you can arrange your marriage and your divorce from the same room here. Sadly it doesn't look that good on the photographs because on Saturdays the market place is full of market and rubbish and the office only has a narrow door so the couple's triumphal exit is not likely to be that dignified.

There is an interpretation board in their window which claims that the cellar was once a roller skating rink. I wonder if anyone has got married on skates.

The building with the tower is the Town Hall home to the Freemen of Alnwick. Beneath it you can just about make out the market itself.

The right hand picture shows Lloyds TSB Bank, Barclays Bank and the White Swan, alli in Bondgate Without.

See the FAQ for more details. The column is surrounded by newly refurbished stone lions.
They were done up in Autumn 2000.  Formerly they were all missing a leg.  This was a very strange because if I was going to vandalise a statute in Alnwick I'd go for the horizontal tail of the lion bridge lion (see below) every time - because it would be funnier and easier.

Below is a plaster cast of what I assume must be a prototype of the Column which is in the V&A. Presumably it was when they couldn't decide whether it was going to be Line on Alnwick or Lion on Alnwick.   There's also a picture of the newly floodlit column.

There are better pictures of the castle elsewhere (like here) but you can see the statues on top of the castle which are nineteenth century.   The Castle has some of the sharpest railings in Northumberland. Presumably the Duke's ancestors realised that they would need to make sure the public couldn't get in free.  The castle is only open during the summer.  The general view in Alnwick is that whilst it's not an outrageous rip off but that it isn't really worth the price.  Still, since many people consider that being ripped off by the Duke is part of the authentic Alnwick experience, you might say that it's worth going for that reason.  I'm sure His Grace would agree.

The Castle is not only home to the Duke but also Saint Cloud State University or at least it is the home of their European Education Programme.  So Alnwick has lots of Americans who know more about England than most English.  This particular group of American tourists do not usually get confused between the Bondgate Tower and the Castle. Even though its name sounds like some sixties hangover the University is perfectly genuine - Saint Cloud appears to be a place in Minnesota.

Often considered to be the symbol of Alnwick (but usually photographed from the other end) this lion is famed for being anatomically correct to a quite unnecessary degree,  except for its tail which sticks out horizontally.  The lion is the Percy Lion. It has a curly tail on the flag.  The Duke's archivist once said taht he reckoned that reason is that it was easier to make than a curly tail.  Except that the lions at the foot of the column seem to have managed to have quite acceptable curly tails, don't they?

Given the structural strength of the tail, the accepted wisdom is that it is probably made out of metal.  Let me know what you think if you swing on it (kids ask an adult to help you before you swing on the tail of the lion bridge lion)

The Traffic Lights

Historically the only ones in Alnwick or indeed for miles around.  Here we see popular local solicitor Mr R W T Thorpe taking advantage of them.  However they have now been supplemented by two further sets, in Lagny Street (pointless as there are few cars and fewer pedestrians) and a rather confusing set by the Playhouse.  Confusing because there is probably more justification for traffic lights controlling access to the Tower, Greenwell Road and Hotspur Street.

Other exciting traffic light news:   I once remember seeing some temporary lights in Narrowgate.  They were controlling a 2m long stretch of road.  The only thing blocking the road was the generator, and the only thing the generator was powering was the lights.  Presumably some Dadaist traffic management experiment.

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