Cragside

In the late 19th century Cragside was described as "the Palace of a Modern Magician", and it is not hard to imagine how awed an 1880s visitor to the house might have felt by the innovations installed by the 1st Lord Armstrong. Eager to impress his business associates, the inventor, industrialist and armaments magnate William Armstrong had Cragside designed and built to function both as a luxurious country home and as a showcase of the latest technological advances. Even we were impressed by the Victorian house's hot and cold running water, central heating system, fire alarms, and the internal telephone system (by which the butler was summoned rather than by the traditional room-bell system).

Cragside was the first house in the world to be lit by hydro-electric power, using man-made lakes and underground piping. Hydro-electricity was also used to power a hydraulic passenger lift and a hydraulic spit in the kitchen, both systems open to inspection by visitors with an accompanying description of the then-modern conveniences.

The rooms at Cragside are grand in themselves, without the "mod cons". Stained glass windows designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti are to be found in the house, as well as a Turkish bath suite, no doubt enjoyed by many notable guests, the King of Siam, the Shah of Persia, and the Crown Prince of Afghanistan included.

Not for the first time in our UK travels, rain kept us from exploring the over 1000-acre estate. There are pleasure grounds and gardens to admire; drives and footpaths to walk along, the former narrow at times, the latter apparently steep and often waterlogged; and, of course, the 1.5-mile long "Power Circuit", a circular walk that takes visitors past the restored Pump and Power Houses.

Date of Our Last Visit: July 2002