250 years ago, the American Revolutionary War effectively began with fighting at Lexington and Concord. Among the British soldiers present was Hugh Percy, eldest son of the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, and future 2nd Duke. What was the heir to Alnwick Castle doing in America? What did he think of the country soon to be known as the United States? And what is his connection to Charles Lee (of Hamilton fame), who would become second-in-command to George Washington himself? To answer ...

As well as the Great Kitchen of Alnwick Castle being opened to visitors for the first time in 2025, the suite of larder rooms connected to it are also available to see. One of these was the Game Larder - a very important space in the Victorian period for the types of meat that were stored in there ready to be cooked. And one of the ways that game was procured was the traditional pursuit of falconry! With that in mind, who better to tell us about hunting with birds of prey at this time in hist...

Elizabeth Percy, 1st Duchess of Northumberland, who lived at Alnwick Castle in the middle decades of the 18th century, was a collector, courtier and artistic patron. But did you know she was also a regular theatregoer? Her many diaries include various mentions of plays she saw, some of which were by William Shakespeare, and her collections include miniature portraits of famous actors and actresses. But what was Shakespeare and the theatre like for Georgian audiences? How did it change during ...

In the last episode of the podcast, you will have heard the history of the Alnwick Castle Kitchens, created by architect Anthony Salvin in the late 1850s for the 4th Duke of Northumberland. In this follow-up episode, you will find out about what has been happening in the past year to open these amazing spaces to the public for the first time ever. The Great Kitchen and its larder rooms will be open for visitors from our 2025 season onwards - and a lot of work has been taking place to make thi...

Question: which part of Alnwick Castle was once considered the finest of its kind in the world? Answer: it was the Victorian Kitchens, which were created in the 1850s to be an architectural, culinary and technological marvel! In this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, we explore some of the history of the castle kitchens - from the original medieval kitchen area to the developments of the Victorian period. You will hear reports from newspapers of the time, find out about the underground t...

The Alnwick Castle Podcast returns for 2025! Before we get into the description of this episode, a quick programming note. New episodes of the podcast will now arrive on the last Wednesday of each month, or every four weeks. Please make sure to stay subscribed so you do not miss any. On this episode, we travel to Rome during the Italian Renaissance to explore one of the most impressive parts of the Alnwick Castle art collection. The Visitation by Sebastiano del Piombo catches the eye of ever...

In our final episode of 2024, the Alnwick Castle Podcast presents a timeline of the entire history of the castle ... or, at least, the most significant moments in the history of the castle. Join our hosts Daniel and Deborah as they run through the story of Alnwick Castle in chronological order, from the arrival of the Percy family in England in 1067 to the use of the castle as a filming location in the first Harry Potter movie in 2000. We hope the timeline is a useful and entertaining help ...

You may have visited Alnwick Castle this year, or last year, or before that, but did you know there is a beautiful park just west of the castle with a history almost as long? In this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, join hosts Daniel and Deborah for a brief history of Hulne Park - from the two groups of monks that lived there in the medieval period, to its restoration in the Georgian period, to the modern day. You will hear about the transport of cattle from Northumberland to London i...

During summer time at Alnwick Castle, we love to invite historical musicians to play music of the past for our visitors in the castle grounds. New to Alnwick this year were the duo Pearl in the Egg (a.k.a Karen and Liz), who play melodies from the 11th century Saxon period to the 16th century Elizabethan. We joined them at the end of their final day of performances at the Castle to find out more about them, their instruments, and the kind of music you might hear at a castle like Alnwick - or...

Alnwick Castle, for hundreds of years, was a border fortress, part of the defensive line protecting England from Scottish attacks. But throughout the medieval period and into the Tudor and Elizabethan periods, families on both sides of the border were known as reivers - thieves, raiders and criminals who took every opportunity to attack their rivals. We spoke to our resident master longbowman, Andy Rice, who also happens to be a bit of an expert on the reivers! Andy tells us who they were, w...