Channel 5 show will put Cragside in the spotlight

Cragside will feature in the second series of Channel 5's Secrets of the National Trust.
Cragside. Picture by Susan DawsonCragside. Picture by Susan Dawson
Cragside. Picture by Susan Dawson

The episode will be aired on Tuesday at 8pm and presenter Alan Titchmarsh will uncover some of the ground-breaking technology of the house.

During the show, Alan and Cragside’s conservation manager Andrew Sawyer delve into the past to discover a house that was ahead of its time.

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In the second half of the episode, Miriam O’Reilly tests her head for heights as she scales one of the towering conifers and meets the forestry team who share their specialist skills and equipment, necessary for looking after this unique landscape.

The Rothbury attraction is the former home of Lord William Armstrong, a Victorian industrialist and scientist, and his wife Lady Margaret Armstrong.

They transformed a modest country retreat on the side of a crag into a Victorian arts and crafts masterpiece, with the help of architect Richard Norman Shaw. After moving from their home in Jesmond Dene, Cragside became the Armstrongs’ permanent residence in the 1860s, and it is famous for being the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity.

The National Trust now looks after 1,000 acres of the Cragside estate, which is filled with trees and shrubs that are more than 150 years old.

In 2015, Cragside featured on ITV show More Tales from Northumberland, with Robson Green.