We went to visit Cragside for the day. This is a beautiful old house built on the Northumbrian moors back in the 1800s by a very innovative couple Lord and Lady Armstrong. This was the first home in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity. The house inside is exceptionally lovely and all the rooms are kept as original features and furnishings, loved the kitchen and its gadgets invented by Lord Armstrong to make his servants lives easier.
The formal gardens are a delight to see and worth a visit.
There is a shuttle bus to take you around the estate if you need it. And there is a driving route all around the estate too if you would like to do it. We didn’t use either as we ran out of time and needed to get back home but I will be going back for another visit in the future as there is still loads of the estate that I didn’t get to see.
Not only is this a stately home to visit it’s also extremely interesting to discover the genius of Lord Armstrong as an inventor and his wife as the ‘Gardener’. The transformation of the site from a desolate moor to what it is today is incredible.
As an active 60 year old I did find I was a little tired towards the end of the day, we were there approx 5 hours, so it is quite an active day out, a lot of walking is involved but well worth it.
