Cragside, Rothbury, Northumberland

The home of Victorian Inventor Lord Armstrong, the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity.

A grand pile, one wealthy man. Work by Rossetti, William Morris, Byrne Jones. Wonderful fireplaces, tiling, wallpaper, ceilings, stained glass, wood carving. He even had his own Turkish bath and plunge pool in the basement, a lift, one of the first dishwashers, and hot running water when hardly anyone had this luxury.

We chose to visit today, to take in a special engineering talk. A three mile walk around the estate, highlighting the mechanical, electrical, and bridge engineering. A recent addition is an Archimedes Screw in the river, which supplies the power to all the lights in the house. Hydro electric power just as Armstrong planned when he had the house built.

We enjoyed seeing "La La Land" this evening, a screening at the local theatre.

Extras of one of the massive fireplaces, and the Archimedes screw.