Cragside House

William George Armstrong was a Victorian inventor, industrial magnate, philanthropist, etc. He did not rise from humble origins. Educated initially in law, he was more interested in mechanical engineering, principally hydraulics, and developed several new machines, after which he went into manufacturing. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society at mid-century. He also got into armaments, inventing the first rifled, breech-loading cannon, the Armstrong Gun. His industries on the Elswick and the Tyne eventually employed some 25,000, building machines, bridges, guns, and even warships. He was knighted in 1859, and elevated to the peerage in 1887. Cragside originally was a hunting retreat, but then grew and grew, incorporating several of Armstrong's other dabblings: hydraulically-powered dumbwaiter, dishwashers, kitchen rotisseries. It was the first private home to have hydro-electricity. Be impressed. We were impressed that all this, especially the garden and grounds, grew from a featureless Northumberland crag in the mid 1800s. As we were told by a gardener, there is scarcely a plant or tree in sight that was not placed there by a human hand. It is a marvel.

Drone view; Cragside is sometimes called the "northern Neuschwanstein,"
evidently by people who have seen neither Neuschwanstein or the Alps; nevertheless...

View from the Iron Bridge, which I hiked down to in order to get this photo

Drive-up view

Lord Armstrong of Cragside

In the kitchen with its hydro-electrically powered rotisseries

Touring the house, the usual nice digs, furnishings, etc.

Plunge in the Turkish bath area

Note peacock fire-place screen

After a long hall of curios, specimens, paintings, busts, the usual Victorian things...

You enter the great hall, with this, the most intricately carved fireplace we have
ever seen--done in Milan, for Cragside

Sanctum sanctorum of the fireplace

A bit more of the great hall, three sides of which are paintings

Including this Turner

The usual Olympic size pool

 

Scientific paraphrenalia on display

Music room; there was plenty more, but you get the picture...