Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle is the second-largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor, and has been the ancestral seat of the Percy family — Earls and later Dukes of Northumberland — since the early 14th century. The original Norman fortification dates to 1096, and its imposing curtain walls and gatehouse towers still dominate the skyline above the River Aln. The castle played an outsized role in the Wars of the Roses, and the fourth Earl of Northumberland met a violent end nearby during a tax revolt in 1489. Younger visitors may recognise the grounds from the first two Harry Potter films, where the outer bailey served as the Hogwarts broomstick-training pitch. Today the castle offers guided tours of its state rooms, children's broomstick lessons, and direct access to the adjacent Alnwick Garden, whose notorious Poison Garden is planted exclusively with toxic species.