Since Lyndal is worn out after the gardens, I have been assigned the Castle next to the gardens, which we visited the next day. Alnwick (pronounced “Anick”) Castle has been the family seat of the Northumberland’s (various Dukes and Earls) for some nine hundred years. They are obviously a fairly wily and politically savvy lot since having lost the titles and estates several times over the centuries through being caught on the wrong side, they have always managed to find their back through various old school chums etc. who have put in a good word for them with the monarch of the day.
The castle is the family home for six months of the year and open to the public for the balance. No doubt, apart from helping with the (I imagine stupendous) overheads, public access under the auspices of some sort of Trust is necessary to avoid the punitive taxes, which would otherwise apply to such assets.
The castle has undergone two major restorations. One by the 1st Duke and Duchess in 1750, when they transformed the disused medieval garrison into a luxury 18th century Gothic residence and another century later, the 4th Duke restored the castle again, re-medievalising the more Gothic features of the 1st Duke and Duchess’ castle and transforming the interiors of the keep into the Italianate State Rooms seen today.
It is all kept in beautiful order and some rooms like the magnificent library (which has over 14,000 books including many rare first editions) look quite comfortably lived in with lots of family photos of the current Duke and Duchess and family. If one is so inclined, one can spend quite a lot of time checking out the family and their various doings (ahem).
Other rooms like some of the drawing rooms and the state dining room are less often used by the family and more formally presented. Over the years the Dukes have also been astute collectors – not ones to miss an opportunity – and the Castle is filled with one of the country’s finest private art and furniture collections and an extensive display of Paris, Meissen, and Chelsea porcelain.
The third Earl purchased the Cucci cabinets, originally created for Louis XIV of France for the Palace of Versaille. These were out of fashion and so were in storage at the time of the Revolution and missed being pillaged. The surfaces are patterns of birds and flowers crafted from small to tiny pieces of polished semi precious stones and added to all the gold leaf creates the most incredibly opulent pieces of furniture you may ever wish to see. They are virtually priceless and the French would like them back but the family still has the original bill of sale: all kosher and above board.
In 1856 the fourth Earl purchased the vast Camuccini art Collection, one of the last great acquisitions made by an Englishman travelling to Rome, which includes works, by Canaletto, Titian and Van Dyck. These paintings, together with portraits of the various members of the Percy family by leading portrait painters , adorn the walls throughout.
If you feel you have seen Alnwick Castle before, you may be right. Some of the more recent films that have been made here include Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Elizabeth, and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
Downtown Abbey’s Christmas Special is the only one to be filmed inside the Castle. Apparently the current Duke is a big fan and he and his son acted in an advisory role for the hunting scenes.
So, having hobnobbed with the Duke and Duchess – at somewhat distant remove – it is off to York. Besides I need time to think about all the things I hear I am enthusiastic about in the Alnwick gardens! A bit of consultation with higher authority at York Minster is called for.