Alnwick Castle, England

The Alnwick Castle is a medieval castle located along the River Aln in Alnwick, Northumberland in England. The castle was first built in 1096 by Yves de Vescy, Baron of Alnwick defend the England's border against the Scottish invasion. In 1309 was the Alnwick Castle bought by Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy who restored the castle and modified its structure.

The castle has been since then in ownership of the Percy family, the Earl and later Dukes of Northumberland. The Percy family was continuously involved in wars with the Scots and during the Wars of the Roses (from 1455 to 1487) between the adherents of the House of Lanchaster and the House of York supported the Lanchasterian. After Yorkist victory in the Battle of Towton in 1461 the Yorkists captured the Alnwick Castle from the Lachasterian garrisons but eventually the Percy family managed to regain the castle.

From the middle of the 17th until 18th century the Percy family abandoned the Alnwick castle which severely decayed. In the second half of the 18th century the castle went through restoration works and many alterations in a Strawberry Hill gothic style but those alterations were mostly replaced in the 19th century. The Alnwick Castle is today still in private possession of the Percy family but it is open to the public throughout the summer.