Cragside House

Cragside House began life as a small lodge built for William Armstrong between 1862 and 64. Armstrong was a keen amateur scientist and engineer who experimented in hydraulics and electricity. In 1847 he abandoned his career in law to focus on science, engineering and manufacturing.  

He was knighted in the late 1880s and became Baron Armstrong of Cragside. The first engineer and the first scientist to be granted a peerage. 

In 1869 Armstrong employed the architect Richard Norman Shaw to enlarge the original lodge. Shaw sketched out the whole design for the "future fairy palace" in a single afternoon, according to historian Andrew Saint. Shaw then worked on building the house for over 20 years with many design changes and additions over that time making Cragside into "one of the most dramatic compositions in all architecture". Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel (architect and historian) 

Armstrong used his ingenuity and engineering skills to make Cragside a truly pioneering modern home. It was the first home in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity and to have appliances which improve life for his household staff such as a hydraulic powered spit roaster, lift and dumb waiter. Cragside was also one of the first private houses to have a vacuum cleaner, dishwasher and washing machine as well as a self-watering system for plants and telephony.  

To power all these inventions, Armstrong dammed a number of small streams in the area to create a total of five reservoirs. On one of these, he installed a hydraulic engine which drove the many hydraulic inventions in his house. He also later installed a dynamo creating the world’s first domestic hydroelectric plant to power the house and many farm buildings. 

Cragside is now looked after by the National Trust who installed an Archimedes Screw in 2014 meaning the house is still illuminated by hydroelectricity to this day.