I got this book because I will have the privilege of living in Alnwick Castle as faculty director of St. Cloud State University's education-abroad program, which the estate has hosted for nearly 50 years! The author Ralph Percy (the 12th Duke of Northumberland) documents the architecture and furnishings of Alnwick castle (the second largest castle in England after Windsor castle) and his family's role since it was purchased by one of his ancestors, Henry de Percy, in 1309. It takes the form of a straightforward chronological narrative detailing the Percy family's history (starting in the year 1096) to the present day. It interweaves biographical details of the family men and women as they participated in local and national events, great and small, along with descriptions of the many changes that the castle and the estates underwent. There are many fascinating details about the wars with Scotland, treacheries, failed revolts, imprisonments in the tower of London, heroism, and how the family's fortunes rollercoastered across the centuries. For example, there was one period of about 100 years when the castle was essentially abandoned. Another fascinating episode involves the illegitimate son of a duke who was born in France (to hide his birth) but later returned to England, changed his name to John Smithson, married into wealth, and became a successful chemist and mineralogist. Fortunately for the United States, the nephew to whom Smithson would have left his fortune died without heirs and the money went, instead, to the U.S. to found an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." We know it now as the Smithsonian! This is a large-format book illustrated with high quality renderings of photographs (many by the author) and paintings and documents from the vast family archives. My one critique is that I would have appreciated a little more historical context for at least a few of the more important historical events. I found that I had to stop pretty often to look up details about events in English history, which most Americans (and, I suspect even the English) don't know much about other than the names. This minor detail aside, I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in British history, architecture, the nature of the aristocracy--and especially if you plan to travel to northwest Britain or relatively nearby Edinburgh, Scotland--in which case a visit to tour the castle and its gardens is highly recommended!
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- CarrollReviewed in Australia on September 4, 2023
Ancestry my to add to story Amazing An
