Cragend Farm
Ancient farm remodelled in the nineteenth century and surrounded by fields of British rare-breed pedigree Whitebred Shorthorn cattle, Bagot goats and Cheviot sheep.
Cragend Grange, near Cragside, Rothbury, Northumberland, NE65 7XN
Cragend Farm is an award-winning site – winner of the The Custodian Prize 2023 and runner up in the Historic Houses Collections Award 2023. From the Big Bang to the 21st century: enjoy a sensory historical tour, including artefacts and research, and experience the unique work of businessman and innovative engineer Lord Armstrong of Cragside.
Cragend Farm sits quietly on the edge of the famous Cragside Estate, Rothbury, near Alnwick and Bamburgh, in Northumberland, designed by Lord Armstrong of Cragside for his prize cattle. It is an ancient Northumberland farm dating back to the 1300s, associated with the National Trust property Cragside. It was re-modelled and transformed to use hydraulic engineering by North-East industrialist Lord William Armstrong of Cragside from the 1860s. It has a unique history thanks to this great innovator’s vision for engineering and science including a Grade II* Agricultural Site.
Visit the farm, its buildings, the agricultural hydraulic machinery and engineering skills of ‘The Magician of the North’, the Hydraulic Silo, Weighbridge with its Victorian machinery, the Cragend Grange hydraulic ‘Turbine Room’, the courtyard and dairies, and see the farmhouse where there is on-going work stripping back the years to the original stonework.
British rare-breed pedigree Whitebred Shorthorn cattle and Park Type Cheviot sheep roam the fields and there is also plenty of wildlife to see.
Originally from further up The Coquet Valley, the Renwicks moved to Cragend Farm in 2011 to renovate and restore this unique gem of history. It is an ongoing project and continues to reveal new stories.
The tour includes tea/coffee & biscuits and access to the estate after the tour for you to bring a picnic lunch if you wish.
Shaun & Lou Renwick welcome you to holiday at East Cottage, or B&B in ‘The Armstrong Wing’ and ‘The West Room’ of Cragend Grange where a delicious breakfast is cooked for you before you step out for the day. Historic heritage holiday accommodation, farming with rare breeds, and bio-mass sustainability.
Please note: The information on the Historic Houses website is advisory, but please always check the website of the house or garden you intend to visit before travelling.
Open as a Bed and Breakfast and self-catering holiday cottage.
Historic Houses members may have a free tour of the historic site (by appointment only) when they book accommodation.
By appointment only: an educational tour of the farm and its history.
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Cragend Farm, Northumberland
Fascinating tour of Cragend Farm! Well worth the visit to see the restoration work of this ancient farm remodelled by Lord Armstrong of Cragside and the unique silo with remains of the hydraulic system to make and store silage. Brilliant!
We received a warm welcome and refreshments in the farmhouse kitchen prior to the tour. The tour was led by Lou Renwick the owner of the farm. Lou is both passionate and very knowledgeable about the farm and its historical connections to Lord Armstrong.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to your fantastic farm ... it was the most interesting HHA visit we have ever done. We particularly enjoyed ascending and descending the ladders to look at the hydraulic equipment and get an idea of how it all functioned, the beautiful and unusual buildings which had housed the cattle, and were intrigued by the contents of your "underground" loo! Peacocks and chicks, hens and a beautiful pet lamb added to the feel of the farm.
[We] enjoyed the tour of your fascinating farm … both enjoyable and very informative. The work you have done is to a high standard and sympathetic to the farm. Your knowledge of the property, and the research that you had done was really interesting.
Amazing place! ... We were fascinated. Enlightening tour ... Wonderful to see engineering like this preserved ... Fabulous and inspiring! ... Amazing insight into such an intriguing place. Incredible window to the past ... Tremendous! Absolutely fascinating. Well-presented tour. Really interesting ... Valuable engineering history. Captivating
What a great tour and such interesting talk on the history of the farm & how it fitted into the local area. Plenty interaction and was just a great experience. I wouldn't say I was even a history buff, but I really enjoyed my day on the farm. Would recommend to others local and from afar. Well worth a visit.