Alnwick
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AlanE (talk | contribs) at 01:29, September 17, 2008. It may differ significantly from current revision.
Alnwick (pronounced Annick) is an historic town in Northumberland, north-east England. Although it has Anglo-Saxon origins, it came to prominence in the middle ages as the main power base of the Percy family, Earls (later Dukes) of Northumberland; Alnwick Castle is still the family seat. Alnwick is a popular tourist centre, and boasts what is probably Britain's largest second-hand bookshop in its former railway terminus. It has been voted the best country town in Britain by readers of Country Life magazine.
Its name means "dwelling by the River Aln" and the pronunciation once engendered the anonymous limerick:
- There was a mechalnwick from Alnwick
- Whose opinions were very Germalnwick.
- So when war was begun
- He went of with a gun
- The proportions of which were Titalnwick.