Alnwick Castle Facts: Figures, Firsts and the Art in the State Rooms
Figures that can be traced to a source, and a short list of the ones that cannot — because a facts page that tells you what it does not know is worth more than one that guesses.
The checkable numbers
| Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Percy family ownership since | 1309 | Alnwick Castle |
| Earliest written record | 1138 | Alnwick Castle |
| Barbican completed | 1475 | Alnwick Castle |
| Harry Hotspur born here | 1364 or 1366 | Alnwick Castle |
| Victorian restoration | 1854–1865 | Alnwick Castle |
| 2026 season ends | 22 October 2026 | Alnwick Castle |
| Grounds last entry | 3:45pm | Alnwick Castle |
| State Rooms last entry | 4:00pm | Alnwick Castle |
| Adult admission, online | £22.00 | Alnwick Castle |
| Adult admission, at the gate | £24.45 | Alnwick Castle |
| Recommended visit length | At least 2–3 hours | Alnwick Castle |
| Distance from the A1 | Less than a mile | Alnwick Castle |
| Distance from Newcastle | 35 miles | Alnwick Castle |
| Distance from Edinburgh | 80 miles | Alnwick Castle |
Every row traceable to the source named beside it, as published on 26 August 2026.
Two of those rows carry more than a number. Harry Hotspur, born here in 1364 or 1366, is the name the castle still attaches to its own family attraction; and 1309 is the year that makes “over seven hundred years” a measurable claim rather than a flourish.
The art
Five painters are named by the castle itself in the State Rooms: Canaletto, Titian, Van Dyck, Turner and Dobson. One cabinet-maker matters as much as any of them — Domenico Cucci, whose cabinets were made for Louis XIV of France and now stand in the Drawing Room. The interiors around them were overseen by two Italians, Luigi Canina and Giovanni Montiroli, in the 1850s and 60s. How that happened is on the history page.
On screen
Seven productions are named on the castle’s own list, spanning more than thirty years, and only two of them are Harry Potter films. The others are Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Elizabeth, Transformers: The Last Knight, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, and the Downton Abbey Christmas specials of 2015 and 2016, in which Alnwick played Brancaster Castle. The full list is on the film locations page.
Rules, in figures
- Under 5s: free.
- Children 5–16: £11.60 online, £12.90 at the gate.
- Family, 2 adults and up to 4 children: £64.20 online.
- Summer band, 25 June to 1 September: £19.25 adult online.
- Dogs: assistance dogs only, on a short lead.
- Photography: permitted everywhere except the State Rooms. No drones.
The claims this page will not print
Three things get repeated about Alnwick that cannot be sourced to the castle, and one of them is almost certainly true. They are set out here rather than quietly omitted, because knowing which figures are soft is part of knowing the castle.
| The claim | Where it comes from | What is used here instead |
|---|---|---|
| “The second largest inhabited castle in England” | Tour operator sales copy | “One of the largest inhabited castles in England”, the castle’s own wording |
| “The Windsor of the North” | Tour operator sales copy | Nothing — a nickname in an affiliate listing is not a fact |
| A single gate admission price | Four listings quoting four different figures | The full rate card and the reason it moves, on the visiting page |
Claims in circulation, and what the castle itself says.
The admission disagreement is the interesting one. An adult pays £19.25, £22.00 or £24.45 for the same castle depending on the week and the channel, so a listing quoting £19 and one quoting £23.95 are each accurate about a different band. Nobody is wrong; there simply is no single number. The bands are on the visiting page.
Put the figures against the fares
What each listed way in costs, how long it leaves you at the castle, and what the gate adds on top.