Cragside

Cragside

Cragside, Northumberland
Type	Country House
Proprietor	National Trust
Size	400 hectares (1.54 sq mi)
Main feature	Victorian country house
Other features	Gardens
Public access	Yes
Museum	Yes
Exhibition	Yes
Country	England
Region	North East
UK Grid square	NU0702
Address	Rothbury, Morpeth, Northumberland
Postcode	NE65 7PX
Refreshments	Yes
Parking	Yes
Shop	Yes
55°18′49″N 1°53′08″W / 55.31361°N 1.88556°W / 55.31361; -1.88556Coordinates: 55°18′49″N 1°53′08″W / 55.31361°N 1.88556°W / 55.31361; -1.88556

Cragside is a country house in the civil parish of Cartington in Northumberland, England. It was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. Built into a rocky hillside above a 4 km² forest garden, it was the country home of Lord Armstrong and has been in the care of the National Trust since 1977.

Cragside, named after Cragend Hill above the house, was built in 1863 as a modest two-storey country lodge, but was subsequently extended to designs by Norman Shaw, transforming it into an elaborate mansion in the Free Tudor style. At one point, the building included an astronomical observatory and a scientific laboratory.

Cragside

In 1868, a hydraulic engine was installed, with water being used to power labour-saving machines such as laundry equipment, a rotisserie and a hydraulic lift. In 1870, water from one of the estate's lakes was used to drive a Siemens dynamo in what was the world's first hydroelectric power station. The resultant electricity was used to power an arc lamp installed in the Gallery in 1878. The arc lamp was replaced in 1880 by Joseph Swan's incandescent lamps in what Swan considered 'the first proper installation' of electric lighting.

The generators, which also provided power for the farm buildings on the estate, were constantly extended and improved to match the increasing electrical demand in the house.

The Grade I listed^[1] house is surrounded by one of Europe's largest rock gardens, a large number of rhododendrons and a large collection of mostly coniferous trees.

The documentary series Abroad Again in Britain by Jonathan Meades focused on Cragside in episode 2 (2005).

In 2007, Cragside reopened after undergoing "total refurbishment."^[2]

Cragside was featured during the 21 August 2011 episode of BBC One's Britain's Hidden Heritage programme.

References

1. ^ Details from listed building database (236348) - Grade I. Images of England. English Heritage.
2. ^ Vanessa Thorpe (2007-03-31). "Restored: the world's first hydroelectric house". London: guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/apr/01/energy.theobserversuknewspages. Retrieved 2010-07-17. 

External links

River Coquet Settlements
Alwinton Harbottle Sharperton Holystone Hepple Caistron Flotterton Warton Thropton Rothbury Cragside Pauperhaugh Weldon Felton Guyzance Warkworth Amble

• Cragside Gardens & Estate information at the National Trust
• Cragside History and Pictures