Alnwick Castle welcomes over 200 students from Duchess's Community High School

Students got into the spirit of the day by wearing historic clothing.

It is no secret that Alnwick Castle is filled with history, intrigue and scandals making it a popular choice for school visits.

Since its foundation the castle has been a military outpost, a teaching college, a refuge for evacuees, a film set, and perhaps most importantly, a family home.

But the educational programme takes on a whole new dimension when pupils from Alnwick visit.

Year 7 students from Duchess's Community High School at Alnwick Castle.

Links between the Percy family and Alnwick schools are longstanding and the Duchess’s Community High School has origins dating back to 1808 when Duchess Julia founded a school for 20 local girls.

By 1820 the numbers had grown to 50 and the school moved to larger premises in Canongate where it remained until 1888.

More recently, the Estate donated the 20-acre site that the school sits on today and a further 10 acres was provided for playing fields and to create a new sports club.

On their trip, students immersed themselves in the history of their hometown. They explored the state rooms, learned about the castle's architectural style and visited the sites where battles were won and lost.

Daniel Watkins, education, learning and engagement officer at Alnwick Castle said: “We aim to inspire a love and understanding of art, heritage and the environment through educational visits to Alnwick Castle.

"I hope the pupils from The Duchess’s Community High School learnt that there is more to Alnwick than Hogwarts and that by understanding their local history they can make sense of their immediate world.”

Stephanie Down, head of Year 7 at the school, said: “Our students had the most wonderful opportunity visiting the castle and engaging in a range of activities learning about their local history.

"This was greatly appreciated by all our students, many of whom had never visited the castle before. I would like to extend my thanks to the Duke of Northumberland and the educational team at the castle for making this possible. A great day enjoyed by all.”

Eva McGowan, a Year 7 student said: “This really was the best day, we all learned so much and had a lot of fun in the process. The falconry show was something special to witness.”