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Cragside House, Garden and Estate |
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Cragside House, Garden and Estate tel: 01669 620333 Area: Northumberland |
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| Visitor Information | www.nationaltrust.org.uk | ||||||||||||
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| Cragside House, Garden and Estate Northumberland All details updated* as of: 19/02/2008 |
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| Opening Days and Hours | |||||||||||||
15 Mar - 2 Nov 08, 10:30-7pm, Tues - Sun |
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| Parties
/ Coaches: Yes |
Groups
/ Coaches need Appointment: Yes |
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House
Open for Viewing: Yes |
National
Garden Scheme days: no |
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| Best
Times of Year to Visit: June |
To
see: Rhododendrons |
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| Admission Prices | |||||||||||||
| £11, child £5.50, family £26.50. Groups £9.50. Gardens & estate: £7, child £3, family £17. Groups £6. Winter (Nov/Dec): £3.50, child £1.60, family £8. Groups £3.20. |
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| Onsite Facilities | |||||||||||||
| Parking:
Yes Lavatories: Yes Disabled Access: Yes |
Shop:
Yes Plants for Sale: No Lunches: Yes |
Teas:
Yes Light Refreshment: Yes Picnics: Yes |
Dogs
Allowed: Yes On Lead only: Yes Special Events: Yes |
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| Other
Facilities: Limited access for the disabled, please ring to discuss. |
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| Garden Features | |||||||||||||
| Extraordinary Victorian house, gardens and estate - the wonder of its age; Home of Lord Armstrong - one of the North East's great Victorians; The first house in the world lit by hydroelectricity; Possibly the largest rock garden in Europe and fantastic woodland estate; One of the red squirrel's last strongholds; A tricky rhododendron maze and adventure playground | English Heritage Garden Grade: I | ||||||||||||
| National Collection: | |||||||||||||
| Description of Garden | Designer:
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| The National Trust now owns 1,000 acres of this estate and has completed the immense task of restoring the vast rock garden installed by Lord Armstrong, exposing the enormous boulders and planting alpine and moorland plants in the crevices. A range of rhododendrons, azaleas, brooms, berberis, roses and rowans have been planted to add variety and colour to the scene as the visitor progresses down the Debdon Valley. In the lower reaches of the valley is an open pinetum of huge specimen North American conifers, some 200 of which were provided by the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, and which, in the favourable damp conditions, have attained enormous heights and girths. The Trust acquired the formal garden in 1991 and has restored the Orchard House with its extraordinary system of rotating pots towards the light to provide balanced growth, as well as the Display House and Palm House, (formerly glazed). But the glory of the formal gardens is the display of Victorian carpet bedding. Almost literally 'carpet' in this case as several of the beds copy the pattern of carpets in the house. | |||||||||||||
| History of Garden | |||||||||||||
| The 1st Lord Armstrong, the famous Victorian inventor and armsmanufacturer began building this enormous house in 1863. In 1880, the house became the first in the world to be lit by hydro-electricity and also had hot and cold running water, central heating, telephones, a hydraulic passenger lift and a Turkish bath suite. He employed almost all the local population to create one of the finest Victorian landscapes to match it out of the unpromising empty moorland. He laid over 40 miles of carriage drives and footpaths, dug out four lakes and planted 7 million trees and shrubs. Armstrong also used his inventiveness and engineering skill to install hydraulic engines to pump spring water to the house and laid miles of underground pipes to transport water to supply cascades, pools and to operate machinery. Described as the 'Palace of a Modern Magician', Royalty and the aristocracy came to stay to see this wonder of the world for themselves. |
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| Nearby Northumberland Hotels, Facilities & Amenities | |||||||||||||
| Hotels
& Accommodation: Cook and Barker Inn, Newton-on-the-Moor Saddle Hotel, Alnmouth Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury Queen's Head, Rothbury |
Restaurants: |
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| Inns & Pubs: Cook and Barker Inn, Newton-on-the-Moor |
Villages / Towns
/ Sightseeing: Rothbury |
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  - Northumberland |
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*Information
Updates
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0263_Cragside.jpg - Cragside House, Garden and Estate (Northumberland)
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