Situated in the North East, Alnwick castle was built following the Norman conquest and although the exact date of construction is not certain, it was captured by King David I of Scotland in 1136. During this time it belonged to a Norman family, the Vescys, but after their death, it was passed down to Anthony Bek, the Bishop of Durham. It has since been the home of the Percy family, Dukes and Earls of Northumberland since 1309, inbetween sieges and wars of course. The current Duke and his family live in the castle but it is also open to the public, who naturally, are not allowed in certain areas of the building. This means that this is the second largest inhabited castle in England, after Windsor castle. It is also used a lot for its beauty by Hollywood, so if you haven't yet visited Alnwick castle, you might have seen it on television. The most famous production being Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - the scene in which Harry and the rest of the class are having their first flying lesson and Malfoy steals Neville's Remembrall was all shot in Alnwick. But don't forget to visit Alnwick Gardens which are equally as enchanting and memorable as the castle.
