Scottish King William I, also known and William the Lion took part in the revolt of 1173-4 against Henry II, joining forces with France – the beginning of the Auld Alliance. In 1174 he was captured whilst attacking Alnwick Castle. He was taken to Newcastle and then on to Falaise in Normandy.

The Castle is approached from Bailliff gate through the crenellated Barbican and Gatehouse (early C14): lion rampant (replica) over archway, projecting square side towers with corbelled upper parts, fortified passage over dry moat to vaulted gateway flanked by polygonal towers.

Alnwick Castle was built in 1096 by Yvo de Vescy, one of William the Conqueror's Norman Barons, to protect a crossing of the River Aln. By the mid-12th century, the castle had evolved to mostly the castle we see today. The castle was first mentioned in 1136 after King David I of Scotland captured it.

The Lion Bridge is a rare ex­ample of Adam using Castle Style for a public building, though he did propose a similar style for a prison, and later for a more elaborate bridge that was never built, to link Princes Street and Calton Hill in Edinburgh.

Alnwick Castle (/ ˈænɪk / ⓘ) is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodelled a number of times.

The monument includes a bridge of 18th century date, spanning the River Aln at Alnwick. The bridge is constructed from ashlar masonry and has three semi-circular arches and one smaller land arch with intricate architectural features throughout. There are polygonal lookouts on each side of the bridge with blind arrow slits and hood moulds.

The Castle is approached from Bailliff gate through the crenellated Barbican and Gatehouse (early C14): lion rampant (replica) over archway, projecting square side towers with corbelled upper parts, fortified passage over dry moat to vaulted gateway flanked by polygonal towers.

Otherwise known as the Hotspur Gate or the Bondgate, Alnwick's sole surviving gate house sits at the junction of the aptly named Bondgate Within and Bondgate Without, Hotspur Street and Greenwell Road, South East of the castle.

Throughout its history Alnwick was very much a ‘border town’, with an important castle and extensive town walls. The main reminder of the old walls today is the medieval Hotspur tower, a narrow arched gateway that straddles Alnwick’s main street causing a slight historic inconvenience for modern traffic.

You may enter from the S through a narrow medieval arch of Hotspur Tower and confront the great barbican guarding the gateway to Alnwick Castle. From the Lion Bridge to the N the castle appears all powerful and brooding.