Alnwick Castle

The Percy family have held Alnwick since 1309 and still live in it, which makes it the second-largest inhabited castle in England. The medieval shell holds state rooms remodelled in the 1850s in Italian Renaissance style by Anthony Salvin and Italian craftsmen, with a library of around fourteen thousand books and paintings by Titian and Canaletto. The outer bailey was used for the flying lessons in the first two Harry Potter films and broomstick training is run there daily for visitors. Next door, the Alnwick Garden was created from a derelict walled garden from 2000 with a large cascade and a Poison Garden of around a hundred toxic and narcotic plants, kept behind locked gates and entered only on a guided tour where touching and smelling are forbidden.

What you actually see

• The state rooms - Italianate interiors of the 1850s inside a medieval shell.
• The Poison Garden - about a hundred toxic plants behind locked gates.
• The broomstick training - daily sessions in the courtyard used for filming.
• The Grand Cascade - a large water staircase in the adjoining garden.

When to go

April to October for the castle, which closes for winter; the garden opens year-round with reduced planting. The Poison Garden runs guided tours only and slots go quickly in season.

Honest expectations

Castle and garden are separate businesses with separate tickets, and doing both is a substantial cost and a full day. The state rooms allow no photography. Film tourism makes the courtyard busy and loud in school holidays.

Nearby

Alnwick town and Barter Books are a short walk; the Northumberland coast lies east.