Cragend Farm

We took The Grand Fromage to Ad Gefrin for a peek at their tours and got the vote of approval. Cragend Silo

The unfortunate debris from undesirable and illegal campers in Cragend Wood last night. The plastic tent and other general plastic rubbish just burnt rather than taking it away and disposing of it properly. This area is also a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

Thank you for the wonderful lights! We also thank all the visitors who kindly donate to this wonderful sight when they come on our tours! It's a worthy local cause!

Thank you to all the judges who felt us worthy of our Custodian Prize award and to Dreweatts 1759 and Historic Houses for this lovely cherry on the top that arrived in time for New Year celebrations! Tours and holiday accommodation bookings for 2024 now open. Visit Northumberland

Champagne Bollinger

Look at these beauties!

The Moon looking amazing at Cragend Farm last night with the haze of particles!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxwdkpj802vo.amp

Our bookings for 2024 are open!

https://cragendfarm.co.uk/

It must be the winter light but if ever anyone remembers Noggin The Nog we feel like we have a visitation of Graculus types here at the moment. They were actually rook/crow type birds

It was freezing again yesterday and all our boys are now in one place finally. Howie has moved up to be with the bigger bulls. He gave me a look as if to say "I'm fine" which is reassuring. He is still very tiny for a 6 months old!

Some vintage decorations to put up. A delight when you see the price £4.99 for 6 still on the box! And they are glass! Birds and teddy's and frosted bells. Gorgeous!

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you to all our visitors for helping us through the years supporting our projects.

Thank you for nominating us!

Howie update. Minus 7 this morning and the cattle and sheep very sensibly are all in the small paddock out of the cut of the north wind. It's slightly warmer there than in the more exposed areas on the farm. Howie is cuddling up with the others and managing so far.

Fantastic article in The Northumberland Gazette about our award The Custodian Prize 2023! We hope it will prompt those with elderly relatives who may have memories of our farm to come forward and let us know their stories.

The stand of Scots Pines starting to look good.

Cragend Farm bookings open. Tours Self Catering and B&B link to our bio for details on how to book.

We have won! The Custodian Prize 2023! Thank you to Historic Houses Dreweatts 1759 for your support! Read the article in Northumberland Gazette to find out more...sorry it has adverts just skip them. It will hopefully be in the real thing next week! To see why go to our blog and visit us soon.

Northumberland showcase for Victorian machinery wins prestigious national heritage award Cragend Farm, near Rothbury, has been honoured at a national ceremony for its work to preserve its heritage.

Visit out Website Blog for the full statement about our Custodian Prize for Historic Houses Collections Award 2023. The Collection Award ethos this year is Recognizing Responding and Reimagining:

Prize Winning Site - Cragend Farm Rothbury Northumberland If you are interested in seeing our application on why our Collection and heritage site won this award then please read on:

Cragend Farm have won The Custodian Prize 2023! It's been an exciting year raising awareness about what a special place we have here in Northumberland and we feel very privileged to be custodians of this unique site. Thank you to Historic Houses Cragend Silo Dreweatts 1759. We would like to thank all the judges especially Alice and Hamish. For information about how you can book to visit in 2024 on our links and website. Visit Northumberland

These Red Oaks are looking fantastic this Autumn. These are part of the One Hundred Trees project here at Cragend Farm. There is one Red Oak left to sponsor and plant which will complete this circular planting of 20 Oaks. Contact us if you would like to plant the remaining tree.

Its a very compelling book !

Read more about the houses short listed for the Historic Houses Collection Award:
Powderham Castle, in Devon
Temple Newsam, in Yorkshire
Goodwood House, West Sussex
Ushaw Seminary, Durham
Cragend Farm, in Northumberland

The collection at Powderham Castle, in Devon, covers 600 years including ancient manuscripts and a personal library with over 4,000 volumes. The fine art offers oil paintings, sculptures, and textiles, while furniture includes hundreds of pieces purpose-made for Powderham. Several are of national significance, such as the Axminster Carpet and the Channon Bookcases, owned by the V&A but held at Powderham on long loan. It also includes thousands of personal family treasures each telling unique stories of those that acquired them, curated, and have cared for them ever since. Powderham’s collection is now managed by a full-time collections manager, supported by an archivist and an interning collections assistant plus a small army of collections volunteers.

Temple Newsam, in Yorkshire, is a 500-year-old stately home. It was birthplace to Lord Darnley in 1545, prior to being bought by the financier Sir Arthur Ingram in 1622. His descendants owned the house until 1922, when it was sold to the City of Leeds. Most of the contents were dispersed at this time, leaving the house denuded. However, in 1938 under Director Philip Hendy, Temple Newsam became a museum of decorative arts with two key strands of collecting established: firstly, repatriation of objects to the house; and secondly, the acquisition of the finest examples of British decorative arts up to c. 1840. Furthermore, Temple Newsam became home to Leeds’ Old Masters paintings. Consequently, the house now possesses one of the most outstanding collections of decorative arts in Britain – including ceramics, furniture, metalwork, textiles, and wallpaper – displayed in a spectacular country house.

Goodwood House, West Sussex, has been the home of the Dukes of Richmond and their families for over 300 years. The Goodwood Collection reflects the tastes and attitudes of the successive Dukes who have formed it, and who indeed are still forming it today. The Collection comprises important paintings, including by Canaletto, Stubbs, Lely and Reynolds; significant pieces of French and English furniture by William Kent and Delanois, among others; an extensive Sèvres collection, the 3rd Duke being England’s greatest patron of Sèvres porcelain; a suite of Gobelins tapestries that very unusually remain together in their original location; over 3000 books dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries; costumes, including coronation robes, a rare almost complete page boy’s uniform and livery uniforms; textiles; silver; clocks; watches; sculpture; ceramics; photographs; and arms and armour.

Ushaw, Durham, is home to a broad collection of fine art, religious and secular objects and books. For over 200 years, Ushaw was a Catholic seminary. During this time, objects were acquired, displayed and used. The collection of Nazarene School paintings and 19th century sculpture are of particular note. Religious objects encompass church plate, recusant chalices and an important collection of clerical textiles. The latter includes the Westminster Vestment, produced in the second half of the fifteenth century and believed to have been in the wardrobe of Richard III. The library contains over 50,000 volumes, including unique early manuscripts and rare editions. The collections are housed and displayed in a range of listed buildings, most of which were designed by the Pugin family.

Cragend Farm, in Northumberland, is home to a collection of an eclectic mix of agricultural equipment, historical & engineering artefacts that have been discovered whilst renovating the site to accompany the tours providing a sensory experience. This is enhanced with maps, documents, newspaper articles and photographs. The farm had been completely cleared prior to its sale in 2011 and not even a pitchfork survived above ground. Many interesting items have come to light, such as milk churns, heavy horseshoes, and glass bottles.

The winner of the award will be announced at the Historic Houses AGM on 14 November.

Houses Historic England Susan Aynsley Dreweatts 1759

Historic England Cragend Silo raising awareness about the importance of our heritage buildings that are on the At Risk Register and in need of care. Cragend Farm Hydraulic Silo is being repaired for visitors to see the amazing demonstration centre built by Lord Armstrong of Cragside NT Cragside Fabulous North - Hidden Secrets and Fabulous Places

We are thrilled to have been shortlisted as one of six Historic Houses nationwide for The Collections Award for re-imaging our Collection of historical aretefacts, telling the story of our historic site and giving visitors a sensory experience of life in Border Country Northumberland from it's earliest beginnings to it's Victorian re-invention. The judges visited our site in the summer and we are thrilled that they felt Cragend Farm Cragend Silo a worthy choice amongst the great houses of our nation. Being shortlisted is a great honour and we hope it will encourage new visitors to our site and those who have already been to come again to see our progress. To read about it click the link. Cragend Farm is an ancient site re- modelled by Lord Armstrong of NT Cragside as a demonstration centre for his hydraulic water powered machinery. Visit Northumberland

Historic Houses announces shortlist for 2023 Collections Award - Historic Houses Historic Houses has revealed the five houses shortlisted for the second edition of its Collections Award, run in partnership with auction house Dreweatts.

Who needs to travel to Iceland? Cragend Silo

Super excited to have a feature in the AI News about our amazing Silo! Association for Industrial Archaeology Historic Houses Thanks to Mike Newell .
Association for Industrial Archaeology
Historic Houses
Historic England
Susan Barwood Photography

Cragend North Country Cheviots have their own FB page for all the years action. We are just picking out 2023 ewes for breeding.

Cragend Bagot Goats have their own Facebook following as well as our update on our main FB pages. They are very entertaining! Surviving despite a few of their shelters blowing over!

Storm Babet was a testing time for all the animals outside especially Howie who did well to survive all the wind and rain especially now his Mum is looking out for him again. He is not much bigger than a sheep and is nearly 6 months old now. He is still totally gorgeous! Black Sheep Farm Health

Can you read what this part of the stone wall says? 'Pooch' is engraved into one of the larger stones. A beautiful way to remember a valued member of the farm family. It would have taken some time to do so there was a lot of love put into it. We don't know the age of this but the wall was rebuilt during Lord Armstrong's Cragside renovations in 1880's. A great find in our on going historical journey. . Fabulous North - Hidden Secrets and Fabulous Places

A fabulous day out at Alwinton Border Shepherds' Show 2023 yesterday. Our honey stall in the farmers markets was a massive success. Thank you to everyone who took an interest in our 'bee and tree' project.

Very beautiful looking great in the cottage garden. It loves the acid soil

Our life is complete! On Friday we were given a silage cutter by someone who had been on our Historic Houses tour! Thank you EB for this kind donation. It will help us explain what went on with the agricultural business of this farm. Cragend Silo . Tours start again in May 2024.

North East Vernacular Architecture Group visit to Cragend Farm and Thrum Mill today. Thank you for coming along to see The Giant and all the other exciting parts of our site. Cragend Silo

A dynamic group for our Historic Houses Tour today. Standing next to The Giant! Our 1 ton hydraulic water powered hoist by Lord Armstrong of Cragside. NT Cragside visitors are welcome to visit to compliment their knowledge of the man who told us coal was a finite fuel and we needed to look to natural resources for power in the future. Tower Bridge