Lighting up the Victorian home
Cragside House
Visit the first house in the world with electrically powered lighting and household gadgets.
Cragside, the home of the inventor, gunmaker and engineer, Lord Armstrong, overlooks Debdon Burn and is set in 1,000 acres of gardens and woodland. As well as being the first house in the world to be lit with lightbulbs (provided by Joseph Swan) the house also had a hydraulic service lift, hot and cold running water, central heating, fire alarms and telephones. The rooms inside the house are beautifully decorated and the Dining Room is considered to be on of the best examples of a Victorian domestic room in the country.
The surrounding estate is also well worth a visit. Visitors can enjoy lakeside walks and view England's tallest Douglas Firs in the woods which are also home to the endangered red squirrel. Other attractions for younger visitors include an adventure playground and Nelly's Labyrinth.
Submitted by: Sarah McLeod, 22 July 2004
