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20th March to 26th October 2008
Daily - 11.00AM to 5.00PM
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Alnwick Castle was first built about 900 years ago and like most castles of that time it was carefully positioned to defend people and land from attacking forces. Also, typical of the time, it was a motte and bailey castle. The motte was a high earth mound with a wooden tower on top. The bailey was an open space surrounded by a high fence.
Wooden castles could easily be set on fire and from the 12th century they were being replaced by stone. Huge walls with great towers were built to keep out attackers and protect the people inside. A barbican where archers could fire down on invaders guarded the entrance to the castle. Inside were the baileys and the keep, which was the main building and living quarters for the nobleman and his family. At this time Europe was ruled by lots of different kings and powerful nobles who were always fighting. The stone castles provided safe places for them to rule and plan their conquests.
Lots of people lived in the castle, which was the size of a small town. There would be carpenters, blacksmiths, stable hands, soldiers, huntsmen and personal servants for the nobleman and his family -to mention just a few!
A young boy would spend much of his time learning to become a Knight. There were lots of tournaments where the Knights used blunt weapons and practiced their skills while entertaining important visitors to the castle.
A young girl would learn languages, needlework, how to run a busy household and look after children. She might also learn about medicine to help to treat those injured in battle.
Some castles were so strong that when they were attacked they took a long time to fall. A siege could last for many days with the attackers using siege engines to batter down the walls. They also stopped food getting into the castle to starve the people inside.
About 500 years ago castles became less important as armies started to use gunpowder and canons that could break down the stone walls. At this time kings became more powerful and there was less fighting between rival forces.
Most castles you will see today are ruins. Alnwick Castle is very different - it is home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland and their family. When you visit you will see a real castle where people live and work. You can take a tour around the impressive keep, walk along part of the defensive walls, see the mighty barbican and view the castle from the inner and outer baileys.
At Knights School you can join in lots of fun games and activities to really experience what it was like to be a Knight or a Lady living in Alnwick Castle in the Middle Ages.
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09/10/2007 |
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20/04/2007 |
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If you require any information about Alnwick Castle please don't hesitate
to get in touch with us:
Tel: +44 (0)1665 510777 24hr Info: +44 (0)1665 511100
Email: enquiries@alnwickcastle.com |
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