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Work has started to replace the joists in the Silo Tower at Cragend Farm. They are 4.3m long (14 feet x 11 inches x 4 inches imperial) long, heavy wooden beams to support the floors. There are 11 on each floor. Above you can also see the inside of the roof that was replaced in 2012. Our thanks to the Historic Houses Foundation for all their support. ...

Hard Graft - but worth it! It took 50 yellow buckets of debris (mainly pigeon poo and rotten wood) to fill the tractor bucket. Each bucket took 20 pulls on the rope to hoist it from the ba se of the Silo Tower to the maine entrance. Shaun dug out all the muck and Lou pulled the bucket to the surface and emptied it into the bucket. We had 2 tractor buckets full of metal, 4 of ...

Scaffolding in and ready for the next phase on the Silo: We would like to say a massive 'Thank you' to The Country Houses Foundation and CSL Services and Scaffolding for the #scaffolding that arrived today @cragend in order to repair the Grade II* Silo Tower. ...

Silo Snap This photo is, as yet, one of the earliest photos we have of the Silo (as most older pictures where of the view looking at the farm and excluded it; mainly, we think, because there was no panoramic photography back then to capture such a long range of buildings). It shows the north facing wall with the two doors, and the massive hole in the roof which we repaired in ...

This photograph is of James and George Thompson who lived at Cragend Farm. Their parents were tenants of Lord Armstrong of Cragside.  It was taken in 1921. The hay cart would have been driven onto the weighbridge to be weighed, and then the hay stored wither in the Dutch Barn or inside in the main barn. We have many horseshoes left over from this period when the heavy horses di ...

The weather is now relatively frost free as we are in May so we have started pointing again. We have to chip and scrape out the old mortar (and concrete) and replace it with a lime mortar mix which should stand the building in good stead for another 100 years or so. We are about half way around the main barns. ...

Not a pretty picture but it demonstrates well the debris in the main Silo Tower at Cragend Farm.  The Gilkes Turbine is being suspended by rotten floor joists and being held up by its own pipework at the present moment. ...

Minecraft Virtual Tour In 2011 we set about starting to repair the slate roof of the Grade II* listed Silo on Cragend Farm. That work has been completed and the roof is water tight now. We have now received some funding from The Country Houses Foundation to continue that work with some interior repairs to floors and stairs. With this in mind we commissioned Jake, our son, ...

The Weighbridge at Cragend Farm was designed by H.Pooley and Son Liverpool and there is a video on youtube about its history and restoration. It is one of very few that remain in-situ. Other examples can be found at Chatham Dock Museum  and Beamish Museum. We have added it as a side bar here but you can also view it on our youtube channel Cragend Farm, along with other vide ...

We have been clearing out the tower part of the Cragend Silo and amongst the bucket  loads  of muck, wood and metal, we have found some interesting things. This is an old kettle. ...

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to your fantastic farm on the Historic Houses tour on Tuesday. We both agree that it was the most interesting HHA visit we have ever done - and we have done many over the years! We had no idea of the extent of the Armstrong connection or what you have there, having visited Cragside on so many occasions in the past 50 years or so. And indeed looked down on the farm from the walks at Cragend quite recently. 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.

Shaun & Lou Renwick are keen to harness the farm's natural resources, using wood to heat their water, to cook with on a wood burning range, and to heat the houses on the Farm. Even if your house is not equipped to totally run on wood there are things you can do to make sure you are using the best quality wood for your fires.

Why use Seasoned Wood?

Seasoned wood is a definition for 'wood drying'. About 5% of the energy of the log is wasted through evaporation and heating the water vapour of damp logs.

Moisture effects the burning process with unburnt hydrocarbons going up the chimney, which can in time create 'sooting' in the chimney, with the possibility of a chimney fire, all of which requires specialist sweeping.

Drying the wood before burning reduces moisture content in the wood before it is used for burning,

Air drying is the most traditional method, and it takes time. usually over and above 2 years! The fire will use less energy to burn the log if the water content is below 20%. Therefore is can give OUT more energy in the form of heat!

Cragend Farm endeavours to provide their customers with the best seasoned wood possible.

if you would like further information on the process of burning wood please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Why seasoned wood?

Thank you so much Lou and Shaun for a great holiday break on your farm at Cragend last week. East Cottage was a super place to stay. Very comfortable accommodation with everything we needed for self-catering and situated next to the beautiful Cragside National Trust gardens. It was super for our dog with fields to walk across as well as a secure fenced place for her to run off lead! Such interesting history too about the farm and how you have restored the buildings, the Victorian silo and so much else of the past farming life at Cragend. We look forward to returning! J&M Nottingham.

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