Heritage Open Days: Discover the history behind Alnwick trades

The fascinating history behind some of Alnwick’s favourite businesses can be discovered during the Heritage Open Day events in Alnwick town centre.

On Saturday 19 September between 10am – 4pm, Alnwick Civic Society are inviting you to pick up a leaflet which will help guide you around the town as you discover the stories behind the independent trades.

Alnwick has served the surrounding area as a market town for more than a thousand years and the earliest form of ‘shop’, a temporary market stall, can still be seen today in the market place at the heart of the town. Later, shops were inserted into the ground floor of existing houses.

Shopfronts, in the form that we now recognise, first appeared around the turn of the 17th century, but most of the surviving historic shopfronts date from Victorian and Edwardian times, when the arrival of plate glass led to a wave of shop window replacement. Today Alnwick boasts one of Britain’s finest high streets. Its special character reflects the story of the town, and the generations who have shaped it.

Timings: Saturday 19 September 1000-1600

Location: Alnwick Market Place, NE66 1HS

Pre-booking not required.

Leaflets will be available at Heritage Open Day festival locations. Those who participate in this event are responsible for their own safety. There will be volunteers at the Marketplace on 19th September, to give tips, directions and leaflets that will help you make the most of the range of activities and events on offer in Alnwick.

More information at: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-event/alnwick-trades-1.html