Cragside in Northumberland

Plenty for a whole day out. We explored the grounds by car due yo limited mobility but looking forward to return to explore on foot when more mobile. What looks like a brilliant play area for kids. House fascinating with knowledgable guides.

Visited Easter Saturday and yes it was busy, I went to find a table as I have limited mobility. My husband waited in the queue. It took just over half an hour to order 2 teas and 2 slices of cake! A gentleman in front wanted discount which caused total uproar as the staff couldn't figure out how to do it on the tills.. this resulted in both tills being rebooted! Utterly ridiculous, the queue was now out the door and right across the courtyard.

Inspiring and incredible house set in beautiful, tranquil gardens. I couldn't believe the original owner put a Turkish bath in the basement, a dishwasher in the kitchen and a lift for residents, and all the electricity powered by hydropower. A must-see NT property. Only downsides: you have to pay £25 fee per adult even if you only want access to the garden and the property isn't accessible. My 80 year old Mum couldn't manage all the stairs, or the rocky garden, despite being mobile. Top tip: see the view from the iron bridge.

Fabulous - a day is easily spent here; absolutely stunning. Recommend getting there early!

Great day out. Fun for all the family. So much to see and do. Very interesting!

The most interesting NT property we have visited. Fascinating, massive and inspiring in equal measure.

One of the most beautiful places I've had the pleasure of visiting. A gorgeous house set in an amazing setting with gardens, views, water and plenty of walking areas. The house was amazing and the whole visit was fantastic from the moment we arrived. Would highly recommend this place to anyone, so many photo opportunities too.

Excellent site. The house is fascinating, with plenty of information but not overstuffed. The real star tho is the grounds which are huge, natural and packed with places to explore. The playground is the icing on the cake, with the nice touch of a den building area. Didn't try the restaurant but the coffee kiosk was normal, reasonable NT stuff

Slightly disappointed at the number of rooms open

This is a delightful place; the natural surroundings are beautiful. Spend a day with family.

It is iconic ,history,beautiful grounds an amazing architecture.

Loved the gardens and grounds. Rather expensive at £62.50 for 2 adults and a child. If I could change one thing it would be to have a gardens only option. The cafe had the most gorgeous gf scones and service throughout was excellent

Something for everyone here. Today the weather was fabulous, which made our visit even better 🌞

Terrific place to visit. Lovely walks, and such an interesting and unique property riddled with stories and history. Great for family or solo visits.

This is the former home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth Arms Company. An industrial magnate, scientist, philanthropist, and inventor of the hydraulic crane and the Armstrong Gun, Armstrong also displayed his creativity in the domestic realm, making Cragside the first home in the world to be lit by hydroelectric power. In 1887, Armstrong was knighted, becoming the first engineer or scientist to be granted a peerage, and became Baron Armstrong of Cragside. On August 20, 1896, Elswick once again planted dragon flags all over the place to welcome Li Hongzhang, the distinguished guest of the Qing government. The Qing Dynasty envoy who attended the coronation of Nicholas II, the last emperor of Tsarist Russia, paid a visit to Britain. In Newcastle, 86-year-old William Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Company, personally accompanied him on a tour of his Elswick shipyard. Armstrong, a native of Newcastle, experienced the most glorious and splendid Victorian period in British history and became famous. He also invited Li Hongzhang to his castle Cragside as a guest, full of pride.

Really interesting beautiful place. Innovative & northern!

If you are member of national trust, would recommend this place as its beautiful place.

Great place to visit for both parents and kids. Good play park up the top for the kids. Good number of EV charge points but wouldn’t work on electroverse app so had to use contactless which worked fine

If you like exploring , this is the place. Helpful volunteers , toilets clean , play area very good for the kids. Just not enough time for everything . Will need to go back for more adventures.

Great place to visit. Nice walks and plenty to see

Fascinating house very well worth a visit. Huge grounds with great views and lots to explore.

Wonderful. The Carriage Drive is lovely - take a picnic!

Wonderful site, something for everyone and always enjoy going at various times of the year.

Easiest 5 star review I've ever done. From start to finish I had a big smile as I walked around the building and the grounds. The staff were all super knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. It was like stepping back in time. If you are into history and art this is the place to be. One of the standout features was the fireplace. The photo I've added doesn't do it justice. Has to be seen in person.

Incredible house and gardens. Highly recommend a visit.

Great house and fabulous grounds. This is a place that could be visited several times as there is so much to see.

Brilliant place, set in lovely grounds.

Loved it! Wish we had more time, will definitely return. Allow a full day to explore.

A fascinating house, an amazing man. Beautiful grounds. Well worth a visit. Very welcoming staff.

Awesome place to visit but allow the whole day at least.

Fantastic, amazing. The woodlands and gardens are amazing. The house and historic past is very interesting. I would highly recommend visiting.

nice place, friendly staff, good facilities (gum, common room, cinema room, kitchen)

Really interesting house, fabulous garden (there's a six mile drive round it), walks, picnic areas, play areas. Nice cafe, views are just wonderful. It's at its best when rhododendrons are in flower, but still worth visiting any time of year.. You could arrive at opening time and leave at closing and still want more time.

Adore this place, love walking through the gardens. Popped into the house 2nd time now

Fantastic place. Informed friendly room guides who were obviously passionate about the place. Worth driving the Carriage Drive to see the vast grounds all v well kept. We hit a warm sunny day so lunch outside the cafe in the courtyard was an added bonus.

The fantastic place for forest lovers, with lots of various walk trails, playground for kids, picnic places, etc. One day could not be enough to see everything.

forty miles of paths man made lakes millions of trees a six mile drive round estate lovely people to tell the history of the house cafe and gift shop children's play area labyrinth and the house is amazing

One of the most stunning spots in England

What an absolutely beautiful place 😍 the grounds the house even the shop and loo'S, the staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable it's a definite must if your in the area, i cannot recommend enough

Fantastic place to visit; the house itself is beautiful with many of Armstrong's innovations to see. Great collections, all original to the house. House guides are very friendly and informative. The estate is vast, loads of places to walk and picnic. Best time to visit will be when the rhododendrons are out in April, they are in bud at the moment.

Loads to do and see fab for walking and picnics for all ages will be going again!!

Great place plenty of walks great countryside

My favourite national trust to visit! It is the most stunning place I've seen so far! The upstairs of the manor is a sight to be seen. Absolutely enthralling!

+house is amazing but also people at the tea room helped me get back to rothbury when all public transport had finished

Need to come here for all day. Spent here 3 hrs and seen only about half what this place have to offer. Location is very nice.

Lovely place and views. Terrible food

Brilliant day out, will be back to finish the walks

Absolutely fantastic and a must do when visiting Northumberland 😀 Could just do with Chopping some trees 🌳 down now to create the once magnificent vistas 🤔👍

An amazing place to visit - extensive grounds to explore, plus the house. Volunteers in the house were very helpful at providing the trail for the children and setting everyone off in the right direction. The play area is very good too (it's about a half hour walk uphill from the house).

Cragside is a breathtaking place with peaceful lakes, lush woodlands and scenery was stunning, One of the highlights of our visit was spotting a deer in the forest and meeting the incredibly friendly house cat. Beyond the beauty of the estate, the kindness of the staff stood out, after we missed our bus, Geordie George, the Cragside van driver, went out of his way to drop us at the nearest bus stop, even after his shift had ended. A truly unforgettable experience filled with nature, history, and warm hospitality. Highly recommend and I am definitely visiting this place in future 💚🍃🌲

Always great whatever the weather. Food is great fresh and tasty reasonable price. Shop has loads of interesting items. House and staff always amazing and kids play area and new den building area had all the parents playing too.

Charging people £25 per person to walk around when about half the grounds are shut is a disgrace. I’m all for supporting The National Trust and their amazing work, but expecting people to pay full whack for an hours walk is shocking. The majority was closed for maintenance. Could’ve walked further round my local park. Disappointing

Well-presented 19th-century³ house with 80% original contents. Lots to see over four or five floors with lift acces to most upper areas. Finding the bugs quiz for younger ones is a nice idea combining conservation education while maintaining interest. These lower areas are a little tricky to acces but interesting from an engineering viewpoint as the original lift works can be viewed. Gardens are extensive but beware the distances are quite long between areas of interest. There is a shuttle bus that runs every 35 minutes and you can drive to a car park that is close to each area if you don't fancy the walk. The walks do provide fantastic views and are worth it if you have time and energy. The children's play area is well-equipped and has a refreshment cabin serving hot and cold drinks, some food and a selection of ice creams. There are also toilet facilities and the paths are from and well kept.

Great place for a relaxing walk

Great place to walk in the woods and visit a piece of History.

One of my favourite places to visit. There is always something new to discover.

We came on a slightly miserable weekday so it was nice and quiet, using our national trust cards to get free entry. The gardens were amazing, we only really explored the walled gardens, rock gardens, pinetum, gorge and powerhouses but it still took up about 3 hours. The only thing I was slightly disapointed in is the fact that the house, gift shop and a few other attractions/walking routes werent open. If I had laid entry to get in I would be a lot moe upset, it isnt advertised on the website or google oage that their shut, you are only told when you drive in. Its quite a long drive for us so we probably wont be able to pop over when everything is open which is upsetting, as it looked stunning from the outside and pictures online. The staff in the cafe were lovely, and the food/drinks were very nice

I touched a chair on a school trip when I was 4 or 5. I've a longing to visit again and find my chair again 🥰😇🙏

If your planning a visit here or any national trust don’t even bother, bought a national trust membership and half the places aren’t even open when you go to use them, so today as writing this the house is closed 🤷‍♂️ every other time went to go “it’s to windy” like grow up man, never known a place to close or partially close so much I really haven’t!!!!!!!!! Honestly sick of it, SERIOUSLY is there ever a day everything is open?????????????

Did the Christmas Lamp trail and it was superb. Every child and adult who took part the chance to see the site at dusk and carry a led lamp along a lit trail and at the end was the tallest Xmas tree in England. Normal charge facilities but also a coffee stand was calibre within building at end of trail. Allow 1.5 hours to see and enjoy.

Lots to see, good if you enjoy a bit of a walk. Most people seemed to have a season pass.

I love Cragside, such a lovely property with extensive grounds to explore.

Lovely in winter, looks amazing. The house was closed but seeing the grounds as a winter wonderland was worth it.

One of the best National Trust properties. Good for inside and outside.

Stayed in the garden cottage which was excellent! The house was designed more like a grotto for kids but in its normal state it’s fascinating and quite beautiful

It was shut when we got there on both weekends due to high winds.

One of our favourite National Trust sites to visit. We visited with friends late afternoon so that we could see the giant Christmas tree. Sadly the lantern walk tickets were sold out but we will be quicker next year as it looked stunning from a distance. We enjoyed a lovely coffee and snack sitting outside the cafe just as it was getting dark. This place is lovely for walks but be aware some areas are extremely steep and uneven. The house is incredible and definitely worth a visit. The play areas are great too.

Beautiful National Trust property. Huge gardens, good restaurant / cafe and interesting house.

Normally 5 stars but currently lots of paths are closed if you want to walk and no information given about this on site or on the website that I could see

Arrived to look at the house and all that it had to offer. Unbeknown or advertised at the pay gate the house was in Christmas mode. The house was decked out with wilted greenery and Christmas trees. The very few rooms were so dark it was a hazard to walk. The whole experience which was rushed and very poor in quality lasted 13mins or less if you could have moved more quickly but you would have fallen over disappointed children. My husband and I paid £30 for visit that could have been staged in a warehouse the works of art, furniture and points of interest were either covered up or out of bounds.

Omg what a nightmare! Been here a few times but these jokers close the place soon as there's a tiny bit of wind & don't bother to inform Google so you can see before you leave!! Be warned! Literally 4 cars sat at the barriers now trying to find something else to do. If you're going to close you should have CLOSED on Google!!!

Nice grounds. Good for a walk, but need to be careful not to take any of the off-road paths if you've got a pram or are unsure on your feet. Some of the smaller paths start ok but can become impassible with a pushchair. It's a great house, quite fairytale in appearance. Shame about the through flow of traffic under the arches of the house. Was ill thought out by the National Trust with a mix of pedestrians (some with walking sticks and a bit slow) and cars in a tight space. We were there on a grey Sunday after Xmas. It was well busy and the tea rooms were not worth queueing at. Headed off to a cafe in a nearby village instead.

The Christmas tree looked great, and the house was staged beautifully for Christmas. Loved it.

Bajkowo. Beautifully. In the Christmas arrangement, I would even say that it is magical - you can feel the Spirit of the World, although it is secular, but it is always something. To visit, to recommend, great!

Visited while the Christmas decorations were on. Wouldn't recommend. Half the house closed off, the other half so dark you couldn't really see anything. I think there was meant to be a story somewhere but didn't see anything. What a shame, we were really looking forward to it but we were in and out in twenty mins as we couldn't see anything.

House visit experience is very poor with what they have done for the Christmas period. I would avoid coming here until it is reverted back to its former splendour. This was a creative mistake.

Best North East place for me ever. Most beautiful and natural.

Love Cragside, great place for all ages

Beautiful site with very knowledgeable staff / volunteers on site giving talks. Listened to a talk while waiting to enter the house.

Having visited Cragside on several previous occasions I was most disappointed with today's visit. In an effort to take in the Christmas period the whole house has been plunged into semi-darkness and festooned with excessively too numerous Christmas trees and paraphernalia. The history of the house and its significance has been obliterated. Further, a first-time visitor, at some expense, would not have appreciated the genius of Lord Armstong and his contribution to British engineering.

House looks amazing. Not sure what 1 star reviews are about, its Christmas!! If you want to see the house in its usual setting, it's open nine months of the year to take in all the history. Don't be a Grinch, take it for what it is, a house that's decorated for Christmas. And of course it's dark as some people have remarked, Christmas lights look alot better that way. Well done National Trust for doing something different.

Cragside is a lovely day out, a lot to explore and a lovely tea room to warm up in and have lunch. The house is incredible and the history of it is so interesting

A truly wonderful place with so much to explore.

Lovely surroundings Easy access by car with very limited queuing

The Lantern trail was lovely (especially at Dusk) and the house all done up for Christmas was magical

Regular visitors to Cragside, called in to see house decorations for Christmas and worthwhile.

Another visit to Cragside. Wonderfully done up for Christmas. Great theme of woodland creatures taking over the house. Nice that the upstairs was also open and decorated. Grounds always a pleasure to explore.

Great place to walk the dog. Cafe has dog friendly seating. Staff very friendly.

Well, I was hoping to see Cragside House adorned with traditional Christmas decorations, but I was sorely disappointed! It was more like something from halloween, dark and looked they'd brought half the garden into the house and covered up the beautiful, historical furniture! What an abomination. The billiard table was covered in branches, how awful. A few people were aghast, there were whispers of "am I missing something here"... not to mention that some of the rooms were closed while they covered them with more garden trees! Of course, the garden was open, but it's winter so nothing to see, save for the views. Half the walks were closed due to 'the weather'.... yet there are no discounts, full price for everything, which screams rip off to me. Will be cancelling membership after this rubbish.

If you want to see the house, don’t go in December. Upon entering the mansion we were told that the bedrooms were unavailable to view because of Christmas decorations, and then the guide set the scene: “ It’s midnight in the house on Christmas Eve , and all the family and servants have gone to bed. That’s when the wood elves entered the home and caused all sorts of mischief” It’s too bad the elves came and that it was “midnight” because this meant all the lights in every room were turned off and that trees and scattered alpine debris filled every room. Those pesky wood elves! They lined the portrait hall on both sides with pine trees! Oh you wanted to see the portraits? Too bad! Maybe you can catch a glimpse of them between pine boughs! You drove THREE hours to behold the magnificent stone fireplace? Good luck because the room is unlit and the barely visible fireplace is illuminated only by a haphazardly sweeping purple strobe light that gives only small glimpses of the stone. The billiards room? A dimly lit room with what could be a table under an enormous pile of wood cuttings so high the entire room was blocked from view. In all rooms but the kitchen on the main floor we needed to actually turn our phone flashlights on to catch sight of anything, because remember! It’s MIDNIGHT! We saw nothing that was memorable. The lights were off and the curtains closed. No need to linger. Then we were ushered out of the house and into the exact scene we saw inside: pine trees.

Really beautiful place to visit and staff really friendly and helpful

Bit of everything here Great walks House very interesting Gardens outstanding Fantastic day out for all !!

Avoid serious disappointment. Don't visit while 2024 Christmas makeover is at the house, if you want to actually see the house and contents. I've visited before and had a great experience. I'll compare then and now Took 2hrs to go around the house. This time 20mins No bedrooms accessible. No lab access, no game larder access. Snooker room, buried under a mass of twigs. Unable to look at room artifacts or display cases. No reading information about the house owners or visitors. We came all the way from Switzerland and what makes it worse is that there is NO warning of the changes on the website. I get the Christmas theme, fine. But have the decency to let folks know what you've done to the house and that a visit to learn and see, simply won't be on the cards. Shame on you National Trust.

It was an excellent visit, the theme of woodland and Christmas was stunning. The extra input re fairies added to the theme. Well done, look forward to coming back again

Lovely grounds, the house was closed when we visited which was really disappointing, especially as we paid the same entry price. However we made the best of the situation and explored the grounds and had a lot felt hot chocolate at the coffee shop. We’ll be back to see the house!

Always a nice visit, I love to go at the end of August when the heather is in flower and in autumn. The history of the house is very interesting and I loved the “science” room.

House and gardens are an amazing visit. For me the kitchen is the highlight of the house and some amazing walks through the grounds

Just completely stunning. Love visiting cragside

I picked the wrong week to explore the house as it was closed for Christmas decorations, however we walked through grounds for four hours and this has to be the most peaceful place I have ever been. Standing by the lake above the house there was not a sound. Can't wait to go back in another season to see the Rhododendrons in full flower and visit the house.

Superb parkland and natural features - am not the greatest fan of Victorian architecture so the house was not of much interest to me.