Cragside

Over het museum

Cragside was the home of the Victorian engineer and industrialist William Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm, and his wife Margaret. Armstrong, who had spent much of his childhood around Rothbury, built a small shooting lodge here between 1862 and 1864. From 1869 the architect Richard Norman Shaw enlarged it in two phases into a large Tudor Revival house, which became a showpiece of Armstrong's inventiveness.

The estate was designed around water power. Armstrong built dams and lakes to drive turbines, and Cragside became the first house in the world to be lit with hydroelectricity. Hydraulic machines also worked a roasting spit, a lift, a laundry and other labour-saving devices. The hillside around the house was turned into a rock garden, and the estate gained a pinetum and an iron bridge. Armstrong and his wife also collected art, and important guests visited the house, many of them customers of his firm.

After Armstrong's death in 1900 his heirs found the house and estate hard to maintain, and the best of the art collection was sold in 1910. The National Trust acquired the house in 1977, and it has been open to the public since 1979. Today visitors can tour the house, with rooms such as the kitchen, library and drawing room, and explore the Powerhouse, the Pump House, the gardens and the six-mile Carriage Drive. A major roof conservation project is under way, and the house remains open.

Hoogtepunten

• First house in the world lit by hydroelectricity
• Kitchen with a water-powered roasting spit and a hydraulic lift
• Rock Garden and the Iron Bridge viewpoint
• Pinetum and lakes of the estate
• Six-mile Carriage Drive and the Powerhouse

Vaste collectie

• Cragside House – Rooms of the Armstrongs' home, including the kitchen with water-powered gadgets, the library, the drawing room and a Turkish bath suite.
• Powerhouse – Shows how Armstrong used water power to generate electric light for the house.

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices vary by season and are shown without Gift Aid; paying with Gift Aid adds about 10%. The lowest rates (adult 11.00) apply from 2 to 27 November when the house is closed. National Trust members and under-5s are free. Parking is free once entry has been paid. Visitors arriving by bus or bicycle can get 25% off admission.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The ground floor of the house is wheelchair accessible, but there are narrow corridors and no pushchairs or buggies are allowed in the house. The grounds have uneven terrain, steep drops and stone steps, and paths can be muddy and slippery. Ramps lead to the house, the Still Room, the shop and the tea-room. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge (booking advised); mobility scooters are not available. Accessible parking is in the main car park, at the visitor centre and at the Formal Garden. Accessible toilets are at the visitor centre, the house and Crozier car park. Induction loops are at the house, the tea-room and the shop, and Braille guides can be borrowed at the house welcome desk. An access video about the house can be watched on a tablet, and a free wheelchair-accessible shuttle runs between February and October half-terms. Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Speeltuin / speelhoek

An adventure play area is by Crozier car park, about halfway round the Carriage Drive, and children can build dens and follow waymarked trails. Paths to the play area and around Tumbleton Lake and Nelly's Moss Lakes can be used with a buggy, but they are gravelly and hilly in places. Buggies and pushchairs cannot go into the house, where front carriers are advised; a buggy park is next to the house.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

From the A1 take the A697 and turn left onto the B6341 at Moorhouse Crossroads; the entrance is 3 miles along on the left. Follow the brown signs rather than satnav, which may lead to the exit. Because of the roof project the Carriage Drive is not a full loop, and drivers leave via Dunkirk car park and re-enter with a ticket.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Kluisjes

The tea-room and shop are at the visitor centre, and a kiosk by the play area at Crozier car park opens in school holidays. The Still Room by the house serves ice cream, snacks and drinks. Dogs may sit in a dog seating area in the tea-room. There are picnic areas by the lakes.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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