An Inside Peek at Life in Alnwick Castle

A news piece written for a column in the Northumberland Gazette.

In movies, stories, legends, or pictures, castles are always made out to look and sound incredible. The high ceilings, draw bridges, massive great halls with mile-long feasting tables and stately rooms coated in gold all paint a magnificent picture in the minds of people around the globe. But what about living in one? Have you ever wondered what it might be like, even for a moment, to reside in such a place? The students from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota are nearing the end of their almost four month stay in Alnwick Castle and give an inside look at life in a castle.

There are two types of images that may come to mind when picturing a castle; one made of stone inside and out, beautiful in its own right, or one made of stone without, holding the essence of beauty within. Truth is, Alnwick Castle is more like the second one. Gorgeous stone work on the exterior, and richly painted plaster walls, modern luxuries, and homey touches inside. The staterooms, open for touring during tourist season, are decorated meticulously in the most exquisite and awe-inspiring fashion. This part of the castle however, known as the keep, is currently home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, thus the students reside in a slightly different part of the castle.

Between the thick layers of stone and mortar that make up the walls around Alnwick Castle, a fair bit of space exists, where staff and servants would usually live. It is in this space that the students live for their semester long study experience in England. Complete with dormitory style bedrooms, computer labs and classrooms, a community room near the kitchen and dining rooms, and basement library, it’s a pretty nice place to be while you’re in school. Although the schedule is fairly rigorous, with Monday to Friday being filled with classes, the group of 14 hasn’t been too busy to enjoy some “family time” in the castle. The community room, just across from the students’ kitchen, has a pool table, television, comfy sofas and plenty of movies, so it’s not unusual to find a few students hanging out in there some days after class.

The class rooms are fairly large rooms full of maps, whiteboards and history posters, and the computer labs come equipped with a couple of computers and a printer the students can use any time day or night. Virtually all of the schooling, aside from study trips to various historical sites on Fridays, takes place within the castle walls. The students also have cleaning duties to help keep the castle tidy and neat. The group has very much enjoyed living in the castle, and never misses a chance to brag about it to friends and family back in the states. Not to mention, to some Harry Potter fans, living in “the Harry Potter castle” is a dream come true. All in all, if you’re going to live abroad for a few months and go to school, living in a castle, though close quarters, is a pretty fun way to go about it.