Alnwick

Alnwick
The town of Alnwick, including Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Location within Northumberland
Population	8,116 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid reference	NU186129
Civil parish	Alnwick[2]
Unitary authority	Northumberland
Ceremonial county	Northumberland
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ALNWICK
Postcode district	NE66
Dialling code	01665
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Northumberland
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	North Northumberland
List of places UK England Northumberland 55°24′48″N 1°42′25″W / 55.4134°N 1.7069°W / 55.4134; -1.7069

Alnwick (/ˈænɪk/ ^ⓘ AN-ik) 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, 32 miles (51 km) south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, 5 miles (8 km) inland from the North Sea at Alnmouth and 34 miles (55 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The town dates to about AD 600 and thrived as an agricultural centre. Alnwick Castle was the home of the most powerful medieval northern baronial family, the Earls of Northumberland. It was a staging post on the Great North Road between Edinburgh and London. The town centre has changed relatively little, but the town has seen some growth, with several housing estates covering what had been pasture, and new factory and trading estate developments along the roads to the south.