Cragside

A day looking around Cragside ...

Sunday, 15th July. The National Trust estate of Cragside was about 20 minutes from where we were staying in Newton on the Moor. This is the world of Lord Armstrong who originally built the Victorian estate. This was a thatched boat shed on a lake which has since been drained.

The estate covers many hundreds of acres and this was part of the 6 mile drive around the estate.

The weather was even warm enough to dispense with coats, raincoats and umbrellas!

Anne enjoying some sunshine for a change.

Lots of walks (about 70 miles) in the estate and plenty of places for a picnic! 

Oh dear! The coats have come out again!

Cragside is built on the side of a rocky hill and started as a 10 room house. After three extensions it became 100 rooms of which 30 were open to the public. Lord Armstrong was an ingenious man and Cragside is well known as the first house in the world to be lit by hydro-electricity. There was also a lift installed which was water powered!

This was the main kitchen.

The ostentatious fireplace in the Drawing Room. Unfortunately the next two generations to inherit Cragside lost most of Lord Armstrong's money but 95% of the house and estate survived to become National Trust.

Apparently Lord Armstrong planted 7 million Douglas Firs on the estate.

This is the Iron Bridge over the river and valley that connects the Formal Gardens with the house.