Alnwick, a market town in Northumberland, has been named one of the UK's best places to live. Reporter Aditi Rane visited and found that while the town boasts a spectacular castle, famous gardens, and Harry Potter connections, it was the community and independent businesses that made her want to call it home.
Independent Shops Define the Town
Walking through the pedestrianised high street, Rane passed family-run cafés, galleries, delis, bookshops, and gift stores, each with its own personality. According to local estimates, around 75 independent businesses call Alnwick home. The warmth was immediate: shopkeepers chatted across the street, customers stopped for conversations, and nobody seemed in a hurry.
Helen Stanton, owner of The Accidental Bookshop, told Rane: "We're really passionate about what we sell and about our customers. If you're doing this, you're doing it because you love it." Her shop, celebrating its fifth anniversary, hosts author events and supports the town's Story Fest literary festival. Stanton described a culture of mutual support: "Everyone seems to build each other up. It's tough for small businesses anyway, so we absolutely support each other."
From Corporate Life to Cheese Shop
A few doors away, Ian Dawson swapped corporate life for The Cheese Room just over a year ago. "I love living here," he said. "If you measure happiness on a scale of one to 10, I now live in Northumberland and own a cheese shop in Northumberland, so yeah, it's pretty close." Dawson explained that buying the business was partly commercial, but just as importantly about lifestyle. Alnwick, he said, felt like somewhere with "a real sense of pride and identity."
Across the road, Coquet Confectioners opened last November. Emma Hill, who helped open the shop, laughed as adults excitedly pointed out sweets from their childhood. "You can't come into a sweet shop and be sad," she said. "The older generation get more excited than the little ones sometimes." Hill added: "We all pop into each other's shops and ask how the day's going."
Honest About Challenges
Sarah Harrison, who has worked at Grannies cafe for nearly four decades, acknowledged changes: "There aren't as many shops in the town centre as there used to be. There's no shoe shops or things like that anymore." Alnwick relies heavily on tourism, winters are quieter, and changing shopping habits have left their mark. Yet Harrison said: "It's a lovely little town. We've got markets, local businesses and a really friendly atmosphere."
The Alnwick Garden: Spectacular and Personal
CEO Mark Brassell explained that the Duchess of Northumberland intended to "create something spectacular that people in the North East could be proud of. We're not afraid to be different." The gardens have generated more than £400 million for the local economy, according to Newcastle University research. Every cherry tree has been dedicated to someone. "There is a family somewhere emotionally attached to every tree," Brassell said. Each spring, families gather beneath the branches for dedication ceremonies, remembering loved ones while music drifts through the orchard.
By the time Rane left Alnwick, she realised she hadn't spent the day thinking about attractions or landmarks. She'd spent it imagining ordinary life: buying bread on a Saturday morning, browsing the bookshop because she had nowhere else to be, stopping for coffee because she'd inevitably bump into someone she knew, and watching the cherry blossom return each spring like an old friend. "That, I think, is the greatest compliment you can pay a place. Not that it's somewhere you'd recommend visiting, but somewhere you'd quietly like to call home," she wrote.
