Any Geordie knows the name “Armtrong”, mainly from the Armstrong Bridge which runs over Jesmond Dene. It was named after Lord Armstrong who gifted Jesmond Dene to the City after he moved out to Cragside.

Armstrong was something of an inventor as well as an industrialist. Being a gadget man, his Cragside home was full of technical innovations that were also very practical. His house was lit by the new fangled Swan incandescent lamp using hydro-electric power; a water turbine powered the kitchen rotisserie, electric gongs summonsed guests to dinner, the scullery maids had the use of a dumb waiter to get the pots & dishes to & from the kitchen, the butler had a telephone to contact the key people in his domain (including the “caretaker of the electric light”) and there was even a goods lift so that coal and cleaning materials could be taken up to the 1st and 2nd floors. All this in the latter half of the 19th century…

These days, Cragside belongs to the National Trust and is well cared for, although there is still much to restore.

The house is high up on a rocky crag overlooking an elaborate rock garden with cascades down to the water below. A graceful iron bridge spans the gorge and further down the hillside are formal gardens.

The estate has a number of artificial lakes providing water pressure for various purposes such as powering a sawmill, pumping water up to the house, running the dynamos & feeding the cascades. There is a six mile perimeter drive around the grounds with other things to see and do along the way.

The house has a domestic feel about it with the earlier rooms being in arts and crafts style. I was particularly taken by a very cozy inglenook fireplace with the mantlepiece slogan- East or West, Hame’s best.

The fireplaces weren’t essential anyway- the house was centrally heated by warm air to most of the rooms as part of the design and a Turkish Baths Suite was incorporated in the basement over the boiler house.

The most impressive room in the house is the Drawing Room (constructed just in time for a State visit) which is substantial and has a fireplace surround built to impress. Alas, photos aren’t permitted inside, but the BBC has a good shot of it here.

The photos below were taken yesterday in weather that threatened rain but held off until the way home. Phew!

We stopped off at the Coast for tea on the way home, Whitley Bay fish & chips. The Spanish City & the Playhouse both look rough at the moment but they are being regenerated. Hopefully next time we visit the town they are both more attractive.