Alnwick & Durham
“When books have all seized up like the books in graveyards
And reading and even speaking have been replaced
By other, less difficult, media, we wonder if you
Will find in flowers and fruit the same colour and taste
They held for us for whom they were framed in words.
And will your grass be green, your sky be blue,
Or will your birds be always wingless birds?”
I always look for quotes that relate in someway to the content of each particular blog. In a time when we’re becoming evermore accustomed to the shortest possible content—TikTok video snippets, memes, and Snaps—I hope you’ve found some enjoyment through the mental effort taken to slow down and read. The quote above was painted on the wall of a famous book store (more below), and it captures the value in the effort to share through written content and to digest content through reading. And may I take this opportunity to say, “Thank you for reading our blog”!
Alnwick Castle
Tidal chart consulted. Safe to cross.
As we made our way toward the Holy Island causeway, we encountered an invading army of cars, campers, bicyclists, and buses, all swarming onto the island.
Without meaning to, it would seem we got this one right: arrive in the afternoon, spend the night (even if it’s in a crappy hotel room), and leave in the morning—that way you’ll practically have the island to yourselves and avoid the tsunami of people arriving the second it’s safe to cross the causeway each day.
After leaving the island, we made the 30-minute drive south to Alnwick Castle.
Alnwick Castle
A visit to Alnwick Castle has been on our bucket list since it first appeared in the 2001 release of the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Which means, for over 22 years we’ve been mispronouncing the castle’s name. Apparently…
Apparently, you drop both the “l” and the “w” from the pronunciation—more like An-ick. Except that you also have the get the “a” sound correct, so it ends up sounding closer to On-ick. Now you got it! 😀
The barbican entrance to main gate.
First Flying Lesson
Here is a video clip of the castle’s debut as Hogwarts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTS1VlvlGRg
Standing on the grass where the first flying lesson was filmed.
You can even participate in a flying lessons class while at the castle. These were clearly toy brooms, so we skipped this one. Now, had they had genuine Nimbus 2000s, we might have reconsidered.
They should rename this Neville Tower.
Neville Longbottom after falling from his broom.
Help Life Alert! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!
Interestingly, the castle does have figures mounted around its battlements.
None of them, however, is a figure with crossed swords. That was a film prop. Not to worry though, you can still see the figure. You just have to drive 5 1/2 hours south and visit Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter. Same goes for the fire brazier that catches Neville’s fall halfway down the wall.
Of course, there was once a complete castle wall here. But have no fear, Director Chris Columbus took advantage of the gap (and the natural “green screen” hills beyond) to CG the quidditch pitch into the background.
Chamber of Secrets
Alnwick Castle reappeared in the second film after Ron and Harry crash the flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow (toward the end of this clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJgsaWD3prs
After spitting out Ron, Harry, Hedwig, and their trunks, the angry Ford Anglia drives through the passageway on the left.
What’s really interesting is that the massive model of Hogwarts from the Making of Harry Potter studios near London—the one used for most of the exterior shots of the castle—includes sections modeled after Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral—both of which are part of this post.
The two side-by-side towers were fashioned after Durham Cathedral, and the smaller towers at the gatehouse copy the Alnwick Castle gateway shown above on the right. A wonderful coincidence to see both today.
From this passageway, Ron and Harry watch the car disappear into the Forbidden Forest.
Irrespective of the films, check out the doors (and the “wicket” inset in the left door), the masonry, and the cobbled street—all amazing!
The castle is still a family home…well…a second home. The family will “summer” in Scotland (while all the peasants pay extravagant sums of money to frolic and play pretend Harry Potter in their courtyard), and then they shoo away all the pesky visitors and close the castle so they can pass the colder months here in their quaint little “winter” castle. (So cynical, I know! 🤨 I’m just jealous I don’t own a castle…or two.)
The entrance to the house.
As a family dwelling they don’t allow you to take photos inside. However, I did sneak this one photo of their family chapel, which displays some wonderful architecture and is filled with amazing tapestries.
I wish I could have taken a photo of the library, but here is a shot from the guidebook. This is one more example of the extraordinary family libraries we’ve seen in England. This library apparently contains a first edition of On the Origin of Species. Such an amazing space.
The town where the castle is situated shares the Alnwick name. We didn’t have time to explore the town more, but it is a very charming town and I could definitely see spending more time in exploration.
That being said, we did find this one street that was rather apropos.
Alnwick is also home to Barter Books.
The Famous Writers Mural inside Barter Books. You can follow the link here to see who is included in the mural.
Book Nerd Nirvana!
Durham
From Alnwick it was a bit over an hour to drive south to our next apartment in Durham. (At this point I’m quite fond of pointing out that we’re heading south! 😆 )
I apologize up front, I was a bit tired and poopy by the time we finally arrived in Durham and filmed our apartment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvMIuMvnuU8
Fortunately, there were some great restaurant options very nearby.
Our apartment is at the far left, second window down from the top. This is the River Wear with the spire from St Nicholas’ Church on the left and Durham Cathedral at the right.
Above and to the left is Durham Castle, one of Britain's most powerful symbols of the Norman Conquest. Construction of the Castle began in 1072 under the orders of William the Conqueror, six years after the Norman conquest of England, and soon after the Normans first came to the North. Today it is a college, but also welcomes tourists.
The towers of Durham Cathedral are to the right.
Durham’s original market square, still in use.
Durham Cathedral
The impressive Durham Cathedral. I know I’ve shown a lot of cathedrals, so I’ll just point out some key points of interest. A part of the Hogwarts castle model incorporated the twin towers seen at the right.
Sanctuary Knocker
The Sanctuary Knocker adorned the North Door of Durham Cathedral for centuries. It takes its name from the fact that in the Middle Ages people who had “committed a great offense” could touch the knocker and would be granted sanctuary for 37 days, during which time the person had to choose between trial and voluntary exile.
The hideousness of the monster's features was designed to ward off evil from the place of sanctuary at Durham Cathedral.
Elizabeth I Royal Arms
From the reign of Henry VIll, images of the royal arms were placed in churches to emphasise the monarch's role as Head of the Church of England.
This carved stone plaque shows the royal arms of Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603). Originally set above the north door of Durham Cathedral, it may have been made during the 1590s. Few of these arms survive today.
Bede
Bede, also known as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede, was an English monk from Northumbria, who is famous for being one of the greatest scholars of the early Medieval period.
Bede used “anno domini” or AD to describe dates after the birth of Christ. Although he was not the first to use AD, the success of his writings made its use widespread.
Bede died on the Feast of the Ascension in May 735, around the age of 62. He was buried in Jarrow (about 15 miles north of Durham), but his remains were moved to Durham in 1022 by a monk named Alfred. Bede is now buried in the Galilee Chapel at Durham Cathedral.
Washington
Speaking of the town of Jarrow, between Jarrow and Durham is the town of Washington—the ancestral settlement of the Washington family, from which George Washington descended. Above is a memorial in the cloisters to George’s relative John.
Durham, North Carolina and Durham, England are Sister Cities.
Chapter House
The Chapter House at Durham Cathedral was used as Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration classroom. You can watch the clip below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJLpssiYcqI (Notice that because I downloaded the clip while we were in the UK, the title is the “Philosopher’s” Stone rather than the US version of the “Sorcerer’s” Stone.)
Other Cool Stuff
The wood and iron work on this door is exquisite.
Gaia is a giant 23-foot diameter illuminated globe suspended from the cathedral ceiling. Local UK artist Luke Jerram created the display, which features a detailed 120 dpi NASA imagery of Earth’s surface.
It was nice to see a church focusing attention on the importance of maintaining biodiversity and protecting our home.
St Cuthbert's Shrine
St Cuthbert was one of the great Northern Saints. When he died in 687, Cuthbert was buried at the Lindisfarne Priory (adjacent to our hotel on Holy Island).
With the looming threat of Viking invasions in the 9th century, a new resting place for St Cuthbert was needed. Legend has it, while the community were looking for a new home for the relics of St Cuthbert, the cart bearing his coffin became stuck in the ground. Cuthbert came to a monk in a dream, telling them to take him to Dun Holm (Durham). The wheels of the cart suddenly became unstuck.
In the Middle Ages, a shrine was erected and covered with precious jewels, gold, silver, and gifts given by pilgrims.
St Cuthbert’s Shrine
An Anglo-Saxon church was built around Cuthbert, and was later replaced with the magnificent Norman cathedral we have today. In fact, the cathedral’s formal name is The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin, and St Cuthbert of Durham.
In the Eastern and holiest end of the cathedral, you climb several steps to the Feretory, where St Cuthbert was buried in 1104 at the site of the shire. (A feretory is a shrine containing the relics of a saint.) A second skull in the tomb is traditionally thought to be that of King Oswald of Northumbria.
Cuthbert was so important that notable visitors to his shrine included King Henry VI in 1448, King Richard I in 1483, and Margaret Tudor in 1503.
In 1537, when King Henry VIII's commissioners came to dismantle the shrine, they allegedly found Cuthbert's body “fresh, safe, and not consumed.” Seeing this, they only removed the treasures and did not destroy the shrine.
Prior Castell's Clock
The magnificent tomb of Thomas Hatfield as seen from the quire (the wooden one in the distance, not the dude in marble).
The Illumination Window
The marble baptismal font and its towering wooden cover, date from the post-reformation refurbishment of the building in 1663.
The Bible is read from the lectern (derived from Latin, “to read”) during worship. Many lecterns in churches, like this one, are shaped as a pelican pressing her beak into her breast. It was believed that pelicans fed their young on their own blood, so images of pelicans are sometimes found in churches as a symbol of Christ giving his blood for humankind at his crucifixion.
Durham Cathedral from the Prebends Bridge.
Durham Cathedral rises above the River Wear and the Old Fulling Mill. Fulling is a process in woollen cloth-making which involves cleansing to eliminate natural oils, dirt, and other impurities, which helped make it thicker.
Angel of the North
The Angel of the North was commissioned by Gateshead Council (the region where it was installed). Like any other large-scale piece, the sculpture was intended to draw visitors and 💷 to the region. It does feature in Vera and other shows set in the Northumberland area.
It was installed in February 1998.
The angel stands 65 feet tall and has a wing span of 175 feet. To withstand winds of over 100 miles per hour, its foundation runs 108 feet underground.
