Skip to the content

Menu

The Northumberland & Newcastle Society wrote an exciting review of Cragend Farm as part of our Open Day visit in June 2017. Here is the piece in full and further information about the society can be found at www.nandnsociety.org.uk: Cragend Farm’s Armstrong legacy. From the Carriage Drive at Cragside, you may well have looked down on Cragend Farm just south of the estate ...

We took friends and family up to Cragside House and let them bicycle around while we walked our dog, Bertie. Really great fun and good exercise too. The carriage drive around the Estate is amazing for sightings of extraordinary plants and trees. Cragend Farm is the South-East edge of the Cragside Estate. Also originally owned by Lord Armstrong to house his prize cattle it bord ...

Vistors Welcome over the Summer You are welcome to visit Cragend Farm between 10am - 5pm during the Summer Holidays to see the historic farm built by Lord Armstrong of Cragside for his prize cattle. Shaun and Lou will be happy to show you around and you can see how they are getting on with the renovations to the buildings. ...

Moving Flagstones and Lintels Under nearly all the floors of concrete at Cragend Farm we have found flagstones. These have been carefully moved and stored to be used in the future on other projects around the farm. We have built some seats out of the larger pieces of stone. Many are used to kerb the road ways around the farm. ...

Northumberland Day will be on 28th May 2017. Come and visit us and see our Northumberland Heritage. The Grade II* listed Silo Tower built by Lord Armstrong of Cragside. ...

Landscaping the area by the Weighbridge. It is 6 years since we first unearthed the workings of the weighbridge and this spring we have been working on clearing the area of rubble and rubbish to make the exterior of the buildings tidy. We are sowing some grass seed and hopefully this summer we will be able to play quoits on this stretch near the Silo. ...

Farm graffitti dating from 1880 to Post-War has been found in the top floor on the  lime plaster of the barns. ...

The Silo was designed and built by Lord Armstrong of Cragside to make silage for his Prize Shorthorn Beef Cattle that were housed here at Cragend Farm. It is a Grade II* listed building of National Importance because it gives historians an insight into the Agricultural Industrial Revolution that occurred in Victorian England. Silage was a new commodity in the 1880's but was tho ...

Half-terms Dates: Rooms available for Bed & Breakfast. 10th - 17th February 2017 17th - 26th February 2017 £120 for 2 people and £140 for a family of 4 including breakfast per night. ...

Witches' markings: "Public urged to check their house for strange symbols carved into the walls by Historic England".   When we saw this headline today, 31st October 2016 Halloween, we thought we must write a blog about the ones we have near the front Door in our Hall. Carved into the lime plaster near the entrance there are several markings, with one very clear Daisy Wheel. ...

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.

Award Winning Accommodation