Alnwick, The Lion Monument c.1955
Photo ref: A223016
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Photo ref: A223016
Photo of Alnwick, The Lion Monument c.1955

More about this scene

The first thing that greets travellers arriving from the south is the Percy Tenantry Column, known locally as the Farmers' Folly. It was built in 1816, and the story most often told is that it was erected by the duke's tenant farmers in thanks for having their rents remitted during a period of agricultural depression. The story goes on that the duke, surprised that his tenants could afford such a memorial, immediately put their rents up. The truth is that it was erected by the members of the Percy Tenantry Volunteers, a unit raised by the duke for home defence during the Napoleonic Wars.

An extract from Northumberland Tyne and Wear Photographic Memories.

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Northumberland Tyne and Wear Photographic Memories

Northumberland Tyne and Wear Photographic Memories

The photo 'Alnwick, the Lion Monument c1955' appears in this book.

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A Selection of Memories from Alnwick

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our website to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was, prompted by the photographs in our archive. Here are some from Alnwick

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I spent my national service 1955/1956 in nearby RAF BOULMER and though many years have passed since i still recall very happy memories of days and nights in Alnwick and of the people there who were some of the nicest friendly people i have ever met before or since.My most vivid memories, seeing i was only 18years old at the time,were of the numerous amount of pubs that could be frequented and i can also bring to mind ...see more
Hi, I used to travel via the great north road in the 1960s to near Durham, I can remember going through the arch above lots of times it was very narrow and you had to watch your car you could not speed then. Alnwick is a nice place and relatives of mine come from nearby lesbury, it definately made the difference when the by-pass was built it must have been a relief for the place.
The above picture was from 1948, I can tell this by the types of cars here, especially the light coloured one half hidden in the background, which actually is the most modern for this year.
Great-Uncle John Percy Norfolk married Hilda Sanderson Campain and she had family connections in Alnwick. They had no children and I have thus inherited a fascinating assortment of their old sepia photographs of Alnwick and their family there, taken in about 1915.