Today the river Aln at Alnmouth is famed as an attraction for amateur sailors, fishermen, walkers, artists and photographers. It was not always so tranquil; in its heyday it was a busy, working river-port, exporting grain and wool, specialising in the import of timber from Scandinavia, blue slate from Scotland for the building industry and the occasional pipe of Madeira wine. The village had its own sawmill, several granaries, as well as sheds to store guano fertiliser imported from Peru - built downwind of the village because of the smell! Herring fishing and international trade were at the heart of village life and prosperity. 

Towards the end of the 19th century port activities declined, in part due to the silting up of the estuary following the river Aln altering its course after the great storm on Christmas Day 1806. With the coming of the railways, Alnmouth transformed into a popular Victorian coastal resort, complete with one of the earliest English golf courses, a holiday camp, bathing houses, beach huts and spacious sea-view villas.