Cragside House and Estate, Northumberland

The First House in the World to be Illuminated by Hydro-electricity

Jul 27, 2009 Anthony Toole

From a steep, forested hillside above the town of Rothbury, the remarkable creation of a Victorian industrial genius commands the middle reaches of the Coquet valley.

During the period in which the North-east of England was the driving force of world industry, the dominant figure was William George (later Lord) Armstrong (1810-1900). As a young man, Armstrong’s passion for Science and Engineering overcame his initial interest in Law, and by the 1840s, he was developing hydro-electric generators and hydraulic cranes.

Armstrong’s Industries on the Tyne

His vast wealth, however, came from his armaments factories, which he built in the 1850s at Elswick, on the River Tyne. During the American Civil War, Armstrong supplied the weaponry to both armies. The machinery for Tyneside’s shipbuilding, the mechanism for operating London’s Tower Bridge and much of the hydraulic engineering on which the North Pennines lead mining industry depended, were manufactured at Armstrong’s Elswick factories.

Jesmond Dene and Cragside

Lord and Lady Armstrong spent their middle years at Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, the landscaping of which provided the blueprint for Cragside. In 1883, they gave Jesmond Dene to the City of Newcastle, the people of which still use it as a recreation area.

Cragside House was designed by the architect, Richard Norman Shaw, and built of local sandstone on a steep hillside above Rothbury. Indeed, the entire hillside was re-fashioned to fulfil Armstrong’s vision. The 1000-acre estate was planted with seven million trees and shrubs, many of them imported from America, Japan and Africa.

Another Newcastle resident, Joseph Swan, inventor of the electric light bulb, was a friend of Armstrong, who dug a series of lakes on the estate, designed to generate hydro-electric energy. The result was that Cragside became the first house in the world to be powered by such, which not only provided light, but central heating, telephones, hot and cold running water and a service lift from the kitchen.

Visitors to Cragside, now owned by the National Trust, enter the estate from the road that runs north-east out of Rothbury. This leads past Tumbleton Lake, from which fresh water was pumped to the house. The large car park stands next to the former stables, which have been converted to a Visitor Centre and restaurant. Leaflets can be obtained here, which describe the many walks one can enjoy through the grounds.

The Armstrong Trail Footpath

Possibly the best introductory walk follows the 1½-mile Armstrong Trail, which leads downhill, past the pump house beneath Tumbleton dam. It continues through tall trees and under the Iron Bridge, which was re-opened in 2009 after being closed for several years because of corrosion. The Pinetum holds a collection of conifers, including redwoods and the tallest Douglas fir in England.

The Formal Garden stands on the slope above the Pinetum. This has a greenhouse, neatly-laid lawns and flower beds and a tropical fern garden, and looks out across Rothbury toward the Simonside Hills. Also worth visiting are the waterwheel and power house, where a 19th century turbine and dynamo are still in working order. After retracing one’s steps to the Iron Bridge, one can ascend through the rockery to Cragside House.

Rooms and Furnishings of Cragside House

On the ground floor of the house are the Butler’s Pantry and the Dining Room. The Scullery and Game Larder occupy part of the basement, from which servants were transported by a hydraulic lift. Elsewhere in the basement is a Turkish bath and cold plunge pool.

The Library was the first room into which Armstrong introduced electric light. It has an Egyptian onyx fireplace and stained glass windows designed by William Morris. The walls of the Study are covered by their original wallpaper.

The first floor, reached by a staircase adorned with bronze and marble statues, is largely occupied by bedrooms and a ladies’ sitting room, all of which are decorated by portraits and water colour scenes.

On the second floor, the gallery contains cabinets of sea shells, oil paintings and stuffed animals, donated by John Hancock, whose museum in Newcastle was supported by Armstrong. Leading off from this is the enormous Drawing Room, the most impressive room in the house. It contains portraits and dramatic oil paintings, a grand piano, pianola, hand-embroidered furniture and a most elaborately carved marble fireplace. Beyond this are a billiards room and a smaller enclave in which Armstrong indulged his interest in electricity experiments.

Cragside Estate Drive

A visit to Cragside would be incomplete without a drive around the six-mile estate perimeter. This rises steadily through mature woodland, past sandstone crags to the two Nelly’s Moss lakes, whish stored the water used to generate the house’s electricity. Hidden in the trees beyond the north lake are the wooden boxes of a timber flume. At the highest point of the drive, the wood opens out to reveal heather moorland, before the road descends to the exit.

A free minibus service, the Cragside Hopper, operates between the Visitor Centre, House and Formal Garden. There are trails, a labyrinth and adventure play area for children.

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