Combining typical homely comforts with innovative design, Cragside is known as Britain’s first ‘smart home’. The Victorian house in Northumberland that was the first in the world to be powered by hydroelectric power. Today, the Tudor mansion and its vast gardens can be explored by the general public. Discover reasons to visit Cragside House in our guide below.
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Originally built as a small villa in 1863, Cragside is a house that sits on a rocky pathway surrounded by trees. It was then extended into a mansion by visionaries Lord and Lady Armstrong who combined a traditional style with innovative features with technology ahead of its time. The Cragside house is a Grade I listed building and has extensive gardens and artificial lakes that can be enjoyed by the general public.
Cragside is located 15 miles north-west of Morpeth in Northumberland. It can be accessed by car by turning left on to B6341 at Moorhouse Crossroads, entrance 3 miles on left. It can also be accessed via taxi from Morpeth train station which is 17 miles away. The address for Cragside is Rothbury, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 7PX
The Cragside Estate was developed by Lord William and Lady Margaret Armstrong. Married in 1836, William was a Victorian inventor and Margaret had a love for gardening. The couple merged their passions for engineering and nature when developing Cragside House which is evident through the vast gardens and innovative home features.
In 1869 Lord Amstrong commissioned Richard Norman Shaw to develop and enlarge the Cragside house which involved double-height ceilings in the kitchens, a plunge bath, and an extensive gallery for natural history specimens and contemporary art.
The house also features a hand-operated dumb waiter and an Owl Suite which would allow guests to enjoy the luxury of hot running water and central heating. The house featured technological advances such as a hydraulic lift, water-powered spit and electric light which attracted guests from across the country. To this day, Cragside uses a hydroelectric system.
In 1884 the Prince and Princess of Wales stayed at the house, choosing it over the region's castles.
The Armstrongs were also keen landscape gardeners, laying out 5 lakes and planted over 7 million trees and shrubs throughout the estate.
Today, these gardens can be explored throughout the year. The rock garden that was designed to create a mountainous landscape complete with artificial water. Further down, you can also explore the Pinetum which is a collection of large plantings of mostly coniferous trees, including the tallest Scots pine in Britain at a height of 131 ft (40m). The estate is also a sanctuary for some of the last remaining red squirrel colonies in England.
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