The Interwar Years
The years following the end of the Great War saw more housing being built and the slums of the town centre were finally demolished. New houses were built in parts of Barresdale, York Crescent, Clayport Gardens and St George’s Crescent. Private developments included West Acres and The Dunterns.
Second World War
The outbreak of war in 1939 brought to a halt most building work, other than defence constructions.
By 1940, the prospect of invasion was real, so a massive construction programme was started to create the necessary defences to repulse this threat. Like many east coast towns, Alnwick became was heavily defended with pull boxes and road blocks, all intended to restrict the movement of any invading force.
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Postwar Years
More housing was built during the immediate post-war years, including Barresdale, Greensfield Avenue and Blakelaw Road. Of particular note are the Duke’s Memorial Cottages.
In the 1960s, Alnwick nearly fell foul of a “Town Centre Improvement Scheme” which would have seen much of the historic core demolished and replaced with new concrete buildings. Happily, this project was finally cancelled.
Completed in 2002, the Pottergate housing scheme has gained many plaudits.