Cragside, home of the engineer and arms manufacturer William Armstrong, in 1878 became the first house in the world lit by hydroelectricity; its hydraulic lift and water-powered gadgets earned it the name Britain's original smart home. He and his wife Margaret turned bare moorland above Rothbury into a mountain landscape of engineered lakes, cascades, seven million trees and one of Europe's largest rock gardens, and the Powerhouse and a modern Archimedes screw show how water still lights the house. Families get a labyrinth, den building and a play area at Crozier car park, and dogs on leads are welcome outdoors. Reviewers rate the interiors as highly as the grounds and say late spring, when the rhododendrons flower, is the time to come. Tips from regulars: the house keeps shorter hours than the grounds, so come in the morning; ignore the sat nav and follow the brown signs in; and the six-mile Carriage Drive is one-way and single-track, with waymarked walks from its car parks.
