Alnwick town walls

The Alnwick town walls are a 15th-century stone defence built around the Northumberland town. They once enclosed the whole settlement with four gates, though only parts survive today. The walls were raised after years of border raids damaged the local economy, and Henry VI allowed the town to raise murage taxes to pay for them. Work began in 1434 and lasted about fifty years. The Percy family, who owned nearby Alnwick Castle, left their lion crest on the Bondgate Tower, an unusual touch for a town gate of that time. The remaining sections include the 15th-century Bondgate Tower and the 18th-century Pottergate, both protected as scheduled monuments and Grade I listed buildings. These two towers stand at opposite sides of the old circuit and show different phases of construction. Bondgate Tower still carries the Percy lion, while Pottergate was rebuilt much later. The walls were never continuous, but the surviving fragments give a clear sense of the original layout. Visitors can walk close to the towers and trace short stretches of the old line. The Bondgate Tower sits at the northern entrance where the main road once passed through. Pottergate, to the south, was rebuilt in brick and stone in the 18th century. The surrounding streets and gardens now occupy the space once guarded by the walls, offering quiet views of these historic structures.