Alnwick's town walls are a 15th-century defensive structure built around the town of
Alnwick
Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116.
The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
History
Alnwick's town walls were built in the 15th century following a period of considerable border instability and raiding that had caused significant damage to Alnwick's economy.
Henry VI permitted the town to charge
murage
Murage was a medieval toll for the building or repair of town walls in England, Wales and Ireland.
Origin
The term ''murage'', while having this specific meaning, could also refer to other aid for walls or to the walls themselves. It is generally ...
on selected imports to Alnwick in 1434 and, using these taxes, protective walls with four gates were built in stone over a period of around fifty years. The local
Percy family
The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...
controlled the neighbouring
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle () is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a G ...
and the Bondgate Tower was decorated with their lion crest - an unusual feature for town gates of this period which normally celebrated civic, rather than local noble, identities.
The surviving sections include the 15th century Bondgate Tower and Pottergate (which was rebuilt in the 18th century).
Both are
scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
s and Grade I
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s.
See also
*
List of town walls in England and Wales
This list of town walls in England and Wales describes the fortified walls built and maintained around these towns and cities from the 1st century AD onwards. The first town walls were built by the Romans, following their conquest of Britain ...
References
Bibliography
*Creighton, Oliver Hamilton and Robert Higham. (2005)
Medieval Town Walls: an Archaeology and Social History of Urban Defence.' Stroud, UK: Tempus. .
*Pettifer, Adrian. (2002)
English Castles: a Guide by Counties'' Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. .
{{Authority control
City walls in the United Kingdom
Grade I listed walls
Alnwick