Northumbria

Alnwick

Our first sortie into the far north of England was to Alnwick Gardens, a fairly new establishment that was opened in 2002. It is located very close to Alnwick Castle (pictured below) and its 12 acres were donated by the Duchess of Northumberland.

Alnwick Gardens was designed by the Belgian designer Jacques Wirtz and his son Peter. Originally a 12 acre wasteland, it is now a beautiful and interesting landscape. The garden is managed by The Alnwick Garden Trust.

As well as containing more traditional elements of a large English garden, such as separate rose and flower gardens, and a maze, it is most notable for its very striking water features.

These ranged from a spectacular fountain cascade in the centre of the gardens, to water features that demonstrated various principles of physics.





One of its more unusual attractions is a giant treehouse, built among a canopy of beautiful old English woodland trees. The Treehouse is a 6,000 sq ft complex of turret topped cottages linked by suspended walkways, high in the trees outside the walls of the main garden.












Northumbrian ancestors

Whilst in the north, we also spent a day at the Woodhorn, the record centre of Northumbria, where Elizabeth was in hot pursuit of her 3 times great grandfather, Thomas Robinson. Thomas had noted on an earlier census that he was born in Mitford, Northumbria, a picturesque village near a river in rural Northumbria.











To our surprising, we discovered that this most common of English names was in fact quite uncommon in this county, and a Thomas Robinson who fitted the family bill was located in the neighbouring parish of Morpeth. We attempted to inspect the Morpeth church’s graveyard for a stone, but it was quite large, and evening was falling. This made the place very atmospheric, though not conducive to tombstone study.

We did however, discover a 1506 tombstone that was still intact, which we thought a remarkable feat.

On our way back from our trip to the north (in the north), we decided to take the coastal route back to Durham, and take the opportunity of admiring the sights. With fond memories from 1997 of Seahouses' fish and chips (this town has the best fish and chips in England) we first stopped here to make sure the fish and chip quality was the same as we had experienced 10 years ago. It was, to our satisfaction.







We then set off along the coast. We stopped to inspect Almouth, a quaint town at the mouth of the river Aln.







We also went to see St John's church at Edlingham which sits on its own, amid the pastures of the area. Its literature describes it as a good example of a Norman church, built mostly in the 11th and 12th centuries, though the tower is 14th century. Its purpose was not only for worship, but for defence as well. Those pesky Scots apparently raided the area frequently and barholes used to blockade the main door and hold them at bay can still be seen. The Lords of the nearby castle (the de Felton family) were buried in the church here.






We can’t leave the north without mention of the Angel of the North, which is a huge sculpture which dominates the head of the Team Valley. The information at its foot states that it is a major attraction to visitors, with over 150,000 people visiting it each year. It stands at 20 metres (65 feet) tall, and its wings are 54 metres (175 feet) wide. The Gateshead Council wished to create a landmark sculpture at the entrance to Tyneside, and one that greeted visitors approaching the area with wide, open arms.





The Angel is made of a special weather resistant steel, which contains copper. This means its surface oxidises to form a patina, which is intended to mellow with age and create a rich red brown colour. The Angel is now also listed as one of the 12 official 'Icons of England' in a major government-sponsored Culture Online project.