Photographs of Cragside

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Cragside was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. Built into a rocky hillside above a large forest garden, it was the country home of Lord Armstrong (the Victorian scientist, inventor and successful industrialist) and has been in the care of the National Trust since 1977. Cragside 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.
The house was so advanced for its time that the Prince of Wales came for a visit in 1884. An extra large drawing room was built for the event. Other rooms are more normal in scale and it is a very comfortable country house.