Alnwick town walls
| Alnwick town walls | |
| Northumberland | |
|---|---|
 The Bondgate Tower, Alnwick | |
| Type: | Town wall |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NU188132 |
| Location: | 55°24’44"N, 1°42’11"W |
| Town: | Alnwick |
| History | |
| Information | |
Alnwick's town walls are a 15th-century defensive structure built around the town of Alnwick in Northumberland.
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.[1] King Henry VI permitted the town to charge murage 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.[2] The local Percy family controlled the neighbouring Alnwick Castle 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.[3]
The surviving sections include the 15th century Bondgate Tower and Pottergate (which was rebuilt in the 18th century). Both are scheduled monuments and Grade I listed buildings.
- Bondgate Tower: 55°24’46"N, 1°42’13"W
- Pottergate: 55°24’54"N, 1°42’39"W
References
- Creighton, Oliver Hamilton and Robert Higham: 'Mediæval Town Walls: an Archaeology and Social History of Urban Defence' (Tempus, 2005) ISBN 978-0-7524-1445-4.
- Pettifer, Adrian: 'English Castles: a Guide by Counties' (Boydell Press, 2002) ISBN 978-0-85115-782-5