On our way back up to Scotland, after our short break in Yorkshire a few weeks ago, we stopped off at Cragside in Northumberland, another National Trust property. It was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity. Thanks again to Margaret @ Booksplease for pointing us in its direction. We were lucky with the weather, although it had been raining most of the week which meant it was a bit muddy underfoot in the gardens. We got a great day for viewing it all, it’s a very popular destination so it was fairly crowded in parts but most people stayed close to the house. I think it’s best described as quirky, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about all those roof angles but the inside is full of Arts and Crafts details.
It’s a very homely place though, despite being huge, as it’s Victorian, the furniture isn’t too precious, lots of us own bits and pieces of Victorian furniture and knick knacks, so most of it doesn’t seem grand, especially the bedrooms. I’d love to own a patchwork quilt like this though.
I love this quilt too, as you can see, this room has William Morris wallpaper, one of his brighter designs, they can be a bit dark sometimes. I have absolutely no idea what the boxes on the floor at the bottom of the bed are, I don’t even recall seeing them!
I took lots of photos of the interior as it was such a nice change to be able to, for some reason the National Trust for Scotland still don’t allow photos inside. So I’ll probably show more of Cragside again soon, it’s a real delight for anyone interested in Arts and Crafts design.
So beautiful. I love touring old houses.
Peggy Ann,
Well, there are plenty to choose from here!
Gorgeous. It’ll be years before our next trip to Scotland, but I’d love to tour some of the National Trust Properties again.
Pearl,
What a shame, I thought you would be a regular visitor, but there are so many places to visit I suppose, and they’ll all have better weather!
Oh, we’ll certainly return, but getting to/from Europe is such a long haul for us – it takes us 26-30 hours in transit (without any delays.) That’s two back-to-back overnight flights! It was a pain in the neck (and elsewhere) when I was younger, and it isn’t getting any better with age.
Next year we are looking at SE Asia again – Cambodia and Thailand. Easier to get to, and the countryside is amazing with history that makes Europe look like a youngster in comparison.
And I promised Bud we’d do South America and Antartica for his 70th – that’s 2014.
We also have a lot left to see right here in the USA – the Columbia river, a paddleboat cruise down the Mississippi to New Orleans, the Grand Canyon, Napa Valley, autumn in New England…and on and on.
But we’ll make it back to Scotland one of these days.
Pearl,
I don’t know how you managed being in a plane all that time, it’s my idea of a nightmare.
Antarctica sounds exciting and you should be able to get great photos, it’s definitely different.
If I was able to snap my fingers and be in the US one of the first things I would do would be to go on a paddleboat on the Mississippi, I blame Mark Twain.
Glad to be of service! It’s such a beautiful house with so much to see and I love its quirkiness. I’m hoping to make another visit next year – trying to find a time when it won’t be crowded is difficult. We only had time for a quick look around the grounds last time. I think a lot of people don’t wander far from the house because of the steepness of the gardens, but it’s well worth the effort.
Margaret,
I thought it would be fairly quiet in October but it wasn’t I dread to think what it’s like in the summer, but I want to see the gardens then. We went all the way down to the power house but we were the only ones there!
Our U3A group had a visit there last year, but I couldn’t go because I had a friend (Colin, actually) visiting. However I must go and take a looksee next spring. It looks gorgeous from the outside and your photos of inside whet the appetite for more! Lovely!
Evee,
We’re going again in spring or summer, maybe both!